When do we become aware of self?
The short answer to this question is that: We become self aware around 18-24 months. This was concluded from the mirror self recognition test with babies from the "Secrets of You" video. Unfortunately I believe that that alone would not be sufficient to get a good grade on my blog. So I must say more about what I think about this particular topic. But I have to put it out there: 200-250 words is not enough to explain my thoughts about consciousness. I find the idea of a conscious mind compelling and believe it is impossible to define. I believe it is not only a scientific thing but also very spiritual. So in my perspective Descartes had a point to "duel-ism". The mind and the body are two very separate things, the body has a known life span but the mind a soul does not. So how does one know that they are self aware, that they exist? I think therefore I am, meaning you have to be able to understand that you are thinking to know that you exist. But what about the children who are not self aware? In the mind of a non-self aware person, do they believe that they exist? Does that mean that they do not have a consciousness? Haven't you ever wonder what it would be like if you can turn off our consciousness? What would it be like if you were not self aware or not stimulated by the outside world? Why do people, even as adults, have this notion that we must find ourselves? When are we really ever self aware?
