Hi M,

If you want to learn more about consciousness, I would recommend that you observe it. No amount of philosophical argumentation can take the place of raw experience.

By watching your mind, even for 10 seconds, you will find that thoughts and feelings arise without any effort at all. What appears in consciousness is not "decided", it just is.

For example, think of someone you know. Who came to mind? Did you decide to bring that person to mind? Or did it just happen? When you observe your mind in this way, it's obvious that thoughts and emotions simply appear in consciousness through no fault of our own. The complexity of the thought or emotion is irrelevant. Our brains are merely responding to a stimulus and producing a relevant/conditioned response.

Mindfulness meditation will help you see this for yourself. Check out an app like Headspace or Waking Up.