Thinking about Thought

I ran across a blog that was discussing atheism, determinism and consciousness. While the conversation did not progress very well, it did spark a powerful curiosity about the topic. I come to realize that although I think every day, I know very little about the process. I am conscious, but have spent very little time considering what, exactly, that means. As an atheist among Christians I seemed to primarily be an annoyance, but for myself, the process of writing about thinking led to so many interesting questions, that I thought I would continue it here where folks would have to seek out being annoyed.

What is thinking? What are the physical mechanics? How are thinking and past experiences entwined? What is consciousness? Is it a deterministic (pre-determined) process based on the exact makeup of our brains, or is there a random element? Do thought mechanics allow for free will? How exactly do we sense things for the outside world? Is it possible that there is more to sense and we just aren’t equipped to do it? How does the mind focus on something? How well do we multi-task? If we create a machine that emulates the mind well enough, can we call it conscious? Why music and art; what do we get from these? What are emotions and what use do they have? Can we chemically or electrically alter our emotions?

It seems to me that these questions are what makes humans truly unique, I don’t seem to have thought much about them. I’m planning to push out a thought and read some every week day; weekends are for important things like family and football.