How can consciousness be best defined?

Consciousness is best defined as our awareness of ourselves and our environment. This definition encompasses various aspects of human experience, including thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and sensations that we experience moment to moment. Consciousness allows individuals to be cognizant not only of their own internal mental states but also of external stimuli in their surroundings. It plays a crucial role in how we interpret our experiences and respond to them, as it integrates information from different senses and cognitive processes.

Other options, while related to aspects of psychological functioning, do not capture the full scope of what consciousness entails. For instance, knowledge of subconscious thoughts pertains more to the underlying mental processes that we are not actively aware of, rather than consciousness itself. The ability to recall memories focuses specifically on memory retrieval, which is just one function that can occur within a conscious state. Similarly, the capacity for decision-making, while influenced by consciousness, is a specific cognitive function rather than a comprehensive definition of consciousness as a whole. Thus, the definition highlighting awareness of both self and environment provides the most complete understanding of consciousness.