Unexpected definitions for interesting words

What makes a definition unexpected?

The word “set” has over 400 definitions. Some of them are very different, but we can see the ideas they share. For example a set in mathematics means something very different than a set of dishes, but they’re both groups that are put together for a specific reason. And then other uses of “set” seem similar, even though they’re used in very different contexts, but it’s more difficult to say what exactly they share. For example, setting the time for a wedding and setting a record time in a race. Both are setting a time but are very different in every other way.

We’re used to words like “set” that can mean a lot of different things. And we’re used to words like “president” that can mean a handful of different things that are all somewhat related. But despite the fact that we know a single word can mean many different things, we’re still drawn to the idea of finding a single, all encompassing, definition for many interesting words.

“Consciousness” is used in a lot of different contexts, and it’s used by different disciplines and lots of people have tried to nail down a single, correct, definition of what it means. I wrote a definition of consciousness and what makes it feel unexpected is that it’s not universal, it can’t be. I’m sure that the word “consciousness” is used in many different ways to mean many different things. Instead of trying to find some “root” meaning, or a perfect definition, or even to map out the landscape of definitions, I’m creating a marker. A single definition that can stand on its own, that expresses a clear meaning. And it’s a meaning that people often want to express, even if they didn’t realize it could be described in exactly this way.

Each of these definitions comes with an explanation of the meaning they’re capturing. They’re each a marker in a complex landscape of overlapping ideas and concepts. The goal is to give us a toehold to discuss these ideas, the ways that the words have come to be used, and what other definitions for these words might be.

I hope when you read these definitions you can find an unexpected sense of recognition. A feeling that the definition fits a meaning you wanted to express, but didn’t know how to describe. And most of all I hope you find them useful and interesting.