Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
consciously
English answer:
(never see with our eyes,) no matter how hard we try
Added to glossary by
Yvonne Gallagher
Jul 24, 2017 17:48
6 yrs ago
6 viewers *
English term
consciously
English
Other
Linguistics
Hi,
I can't fully grasp the meaning of "consciously" in the context below:
***************
we can never ** consciously ** “see” Faraday’s fields with our bodily apparatus, but those energy patterns are real. We do not see non-local entanglement of some elements with others, but this entanglement, for particular pairings such as energy and matter, is real.
*********
Maybe I find it difficult because I associate "consciously" with its opposite "unconscioulsy", but in this case these fields are not visible to the human eye (either consciously or unconsciously, aren't they?!).
Maybe it is more in the sense of "intentionally", in the sense that, whatever effort we make, we couldn't see these fields with our eyes only?
Thank you very much in advance for any hint!
I can't fully grasp the meaning of "consciously" in the context below:
***************
we can never ** consciously ** “see” Faraday’s fields with our bodily apparatus, but those energy patterns are real. We do not see non-local entanglement of some elements with others, but this entanglement, for particular pairings such as energy and matter, is real.
*********
Maybe I find it difficult because I associate "consciously" with its opposite "unconscioulsy", but in this case these fields are not visible to the human eye (either consciously or unconsciously, aren't they?!).
Maybe it is more in the sense of "intentionally", in the sense that, whatever effort we make, we couldn't see these fields with our eyes only?
Thank you very much in advance for any hint!
Change log
Jul 29, 2017 09:50: Yvonne Gallagher Created KOG entry
Responses
1 day 2 hrs
Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Ireland
Native in English
&
English
Ireland
right word, right place. everytime
Native in: English (Variants: Irish, UK, US, Canadian) 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
55
English term (edited):
(never) consciously ("see”)
Selected
(never see) with our eyes, no matter how hard we try
To me the contrast between conscious and unconscious is important. Just because we can't "see" these fields, though we can try very hard with our eyes or other , physcial parts of our bodies to touch/feel them we will never do so.
However, that doesn't mean they don't exist and it's noteworthy that Farady thought they had "physical properties". (Perhaps while we can't see them or feel them, either consciously or unconsciously, we are still somehow aware of them in our unconscious mind? And our rational mind also tells us they exist.)
https://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/whfldlns.html
..."Most scientists nowadays view field lines as intangible abstractions, useful only for describing magnetic fields.
Faraday, however, felt that they represented more, that space containing magnetic "lines of force" was no longer empty but acquired certain physical properties. In 1846 he speculated that light was just a wave propagating along such lines--like the wave on a rope tied at one end and shaken at the other
Following Maxwell, we nowadays call a space modified by the presence of magnetic field lines a "magnetic field": if a bar magnet is placed there, it will experience magnetic forces, but the field exists even when no magnet is present..."
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Note added at 1 day22 hrs (2017-07-26 15:57:43 GMT)
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yes, "consciously" is often a collocation with "effort". I don't believe we can just ignore it.
However, that doesn't mean they don't exist and it's noteworthy that Farady thought they had "physical properties". (Perhaps while we can't see them or feel them, either consciously or unconsciously, we are still somehow aware of them in our unconscious mind? And our rational mind also tells us they exist.)
https://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/whfldlns.html
..."Most scientists nowadays view field lines as intangible abstractions, useful only for describing magnetic fields.
Faraday, however, felt that they represented more, that space containing magnetic "lines of force" was no longer empty but acquired certain physical properties. In 1846 he speculated that light was just a wave propagating along such lines--like the wave on a rope tied at one end and shaken at the other
Following Maxwell, we nowadays call a space modified by the presence of magnetic field lines a "magnetic field": if a bar magnet is placed there, it will experience magnetic forces, but the field exists even when no magnet is present..."
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Note added at 1 day22 hrs (2017-07-26 15:57:43 GMT)
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yes, "consciously" is often a collocation with "effort". I don't believe we can just ignore it.
Note from asker:
| Thank you Gallagy for your help! I had also thought of this possible interpretation, but you expressed it much more effectively... I was also thinking that "conscious" is used in phrases like "conscious effort"... |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Daryo
: yes, that was Faraday in 1846, but I don't see that the present ST.
1 day 11 hrs
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Hi, I must say I’ve found it really difficult to choose one single answer...
I think that, in general, David’s suggestion may be right; there is for example the case of blindsight, in which the ability to see and the ability to “consciously see” seem to be somehow separated: in some cases, blind people can see, but they are not aware of seeing.
In this particular context, however, I think we probably can neither see nor consciously see Faraday’s fields with our senses (as Robert and Daryo pointed out).
So, maybe “consciously” might have a slightly different meaning in this context, the one pointed out by Gallagy: “no matter how hard we try, we cannot perceive these fields with our senses”... (“conscious” may also have the meaning of “intentional”, “deliberate”, as “conscious effort”).
Anyway, I really would like to thank you all for the help you’ve given me along the way!
"
+4
1 hr
David Hollywood
Native in English
&
English
worked for int. orgs (IMF, OAS, IDB)
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
51
see and be aware of
using our conscious mind and our senses
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Note added at 1 hr (2017-07-24 19:42:37 GMT)
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but we may be aware of them in other ways
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Note added at 1 hr (2017-07-24 19:42:37 GMT)
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but we may be aware of them in other ways
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
philgoddard
10 hrs
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thanks Phil
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| agree |
Tina Vonhof (X)
19 hrs
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thanks Tina
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| agree |
TTMEM TRANSLATION PORTAL
1 day 56 mins
|
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thanks TT
|
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| agree |
acetran
6 days
|
+1
2 hrs
Robert Forstag
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
United States
Translating words, preserving meaning
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
68
English term (edited):
consciously "see"
perceive
The phrase "consciously 'see'" strikes me as a confusing synonym of "perceive."
The idea here seems to be the commonplace notion that, "just because we can't see it, doesn't mean that it isn't real."
The idea here seems to be the commonplace notion that, "just because we can't see it, doesn't mean that it isn't real."
13 hrs
English term (edited):
we can not consciously see Faraday's fields
we simply are not capable of noticing these fields at all // we don't have a "sense" for them
nothing more than that.
The only link with "consciousness" is about "being aware", same we as can be aware of sounds within the audible range (but infrasounds and ultrasounds are "ghosts" are far as we are concerned) or of electromagnetic radiations only whitin the frequency range of the visible light (but not Faraday's fields) etc.
Nothing else that would be associated with consciousness like will, intention, memory, capacity for planing, feelings ...
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Note added at 2 days14 hrs (2017-07-27 08:23:43 GMT)
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in fact we can see these field lines - indirectly: simple primary school experiment of sprinkling a powder of magnetic material on top of a sheet of paper and putting a magnet underneath.
The only link with "consciousness" is about "being aware", same we as can be aware of sounds within the audible range (but infrasounds and ultrasounds are "ghosts" are far as we are concerned) or of electromagnetic radiations only whitin the frequency range of the visible light (but not Faraday's fields) etc.
Nothing else that would be associated with consciousness like will, intention, memory, capacity for planing, feelings ...
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Note added at 2 days14 hrs (2017-07-27 08:23:43 GMT)
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in fact we can see these field lines - indirectly: simple primary school experiment of sprinkling a powder of magnetic material on top of a sheet of paper and putting a magnet underneath.
Discussion
I looked up the definition of "perceive" in some English dictionaries and it would seem a really good synonym for "consciously see": to perceive = to become aware of through the senses; especially : see, observe.
Of course, we may wonder why the author hasn't chosen this (simpler) term - to perceive - instead of "consciously see"... I'll have another look and see if I can "read his mind"!!
I'll let you know...
For now, Thank you very much again!