"why would it disappear on the long drive home?" The phenomenon exists and may be observed regardless of whether we know why it exists. We are complex beings a

"why would it disappear on the long drive home?" The phenomenon exists and may be observed regardless of whether we know why it exists. We are complex beings and there is probably no simple explanation for this. "Just because you've tasked some lesser software routine with the responsibility of not turning you into road pizza doesn't mean you're functionally unconscious?" I am not claiming the driver is functionally unconscious, but that there is a distinct level of consciousness between unconscious and fully conscious where you are able to carry out complex operations without being fully conscious. Obviously you cannot drive a car if you are functionally unconscious. You can also say some subsystem is handling the driving. But calling it "tasking" means you consciously decide to delegate the work. My experience is that I have not consciously decided to delegate the work in such situations. "The trouble with "consciousness" is that humans can't really define it in a meaningful way, but they're absolutely certain that it's a real thing and it makes them important." The phenomenon can be observed and experienced, if you are open to it, regardless of whether we call it consciousness or not. And once you have the experience, it is easier to talk about consciousness in sensible manner.