title: On the definition of the concepts thinking, consciousness, and conscience.
abstract: A complex system (CS) is defined as a set of elements, with connections between them, singled out of the environment, capable of getting information from the environment, capable of making decisions (i.e., of choosing between alternatives), and having purposefulness (i.e., an urge towards preferable states or other goals). Thinking is a process that takes place (or which can take place) in some of the CS and consists of (i) receiving information from the environment (and from itself), (ii) memorizing the information, (iii) the subconscious, and (iv) consciousness. Life is a process that takes place in some CS and consists of functions i and ii, as well as (v) reproduction with passing of hereditary information to progeny, and (vi) oriented energy and matter exchange with the environment sufficient for the maintenance of all life processes. Memory is a complex of processes of placing information in memory banks, keeping it there, and producing it according to prescriptions available in the system or to inquiries arising in it. Consciousness is a process of realization by the thinking CS of some set of algorithms consisting of the comparison of its knowledge, intentions, decisions, and actions with reality--i.e., with accumulated and continuously received internal and external information. Conscience is a realization of an algorithm of good and evil pattern recognition.
authors.affiliation: P. P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Commonwealth of Independent States.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Monin
mesh_terms: D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D003071:Cognition; D003242:Conscience; D003243:Consciousness; D004989:Ethics; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008568:Memory; D013850:Thinking; D014473:Unconscious, Psychology