Alcohol induced Blackout & consciousness

[Esceptico]

Whilst walking the dog I was discussing consciousness with my teenage daughter (mainly pointing out that it is something humans are only just starting to understand). We talked about memory and the role it plays in maintaining a sense of self - the continuity of the “l” narrative that distinguishes the conscious state. My daughter asked a perceptive question. I had previously told her of a night out when I was a student where myself and my group of friends remembered being in the pub and we remembered being back at the halls but no-one remembered the journey home! My daughter asked whether we were still “conscious” on that journey home (in the sense of having consciousness as we were clearly awake). I didn’t know how to answer her.

[Esceptico]

Simpo Two said:

99.999% of everything you've done is forgotten, probably because what you did after cleaning your teeth on 7 Sep 1997 is of no importance.

We've all driven home from somewhere and have no recollection of journey details - you're not drunk, it's just the brain working on different levels.

NB Where does 'black-out' come in to your story?

Perhaps you have never been drunk enough to experience black out. It isn’t like driving home with your mind on something else and then not being able to recall the journey home. More like having an operation under general anaesthetic where you just lose time, with the difference that you were walking and talking during the period of lost time even though you can’t recall anything you did.