Interesting Dissent [Primacy of Existence vs Primacy of Consciousness]

Mysticism: Only in the parlance of materialism. Consciousness, even for Husserlian Phenomenologists*, can be conscious of itself. This is reflexive consciousness and describes a process of involution that is is often considered the 'mechanism' of the Transcendental Ego.

If the physical universe developed from a zero-dimension Singularity, then the Reality itself and the apprehension of what came before physics seems to me to be metaphysical, by definition. I therefore assume the stance of Intuition as the most appropriate psychic function that I possess in order to have any kind of knowledge of THAT which gave rise to the universe. Thinking, Feeling and Sensing have no affinity for apprehending Mystery (using Jungian categories), and Mystery preceeds manifestation, hence the primacy of consciousness.

The Kabbalists described intuitively the notion of Tsim-Tsum - the formation of the Singularity by a
'withdrawal' of the Infinite density the 'distance' of a Singularity, into which the realm of Pure Ideas could begin to manifest (exist), 'externally' as you say from the Divine Mind. Like a 'contractile vacuole' in an Infinite Amoeba, the universe continues to expand, with the curved 'boundary' expanding into the 'Infinite Divine Substance.' The universe could expand eternally into the Infinity of God, but others, like the Hindus, say that it will collapse upon itself, returning to the Singularity - perhaps to repeat the process forever with infinite variations.

In whatever scheme, THAT which is ontologically prior to creation is ontos, Being - Essence - hence, philosophically, 'Essence precedes Existence,' or 'God precedes Creation' theologically cast.

* Here is a brief 'clear' description of what this is referencing. The former materialistic perception of 'Existence precedes Essence' was caused by the failure to push further back into the source of my mentation. Hence:

" The transcendental-phenomenological reduction is a methodological device, required before one can begin to do phenomenology. Roughly, it is the transition from an ordinary, straightforward attitude toward the world and the objects in to a reflective attitude....Once we perform the reduction, Husserl claimed, we discover what he called 'the transcendental ego,' or 'pure consciousness,' for which everything that exists is an object. We discover that whatever is in the world is only as an object for our pure consciousness...Phenomenology is now characterized as the exploration and description of a realm of being, previously unsuspected, which is the absolute foundation of the experienced world, a realm of being, moreover, which is not accessible to empirical observation but only to phenomenological description and to something Husserl called 'eidetic intuition'...Because the existence of the transcendental ego is indubitable, its discovery serves both to distinguish phenomenology from the empirical sciences and to provide the Archimedean point at which to begin our studies."

From The Encyclopedia of Philosophy , Volumes 3 and 4, p.98

Directly or indirectly, every phenomenon of consciousness is derived from one's awareness of the external world. Some object, i.e., some content, is involved in every state of awareness. Extrospection is a process of cognition directed outward -- a process of apprehending some existent(s) of the external world. Introspection is a process of cognition directed inward -- a process of apprehending one's own psychological actions in regard to some existent(s) of the external world, such actions as thinking, feeling, reminiscing, etc. ... A content-less state of consciousness is a contradiction in terms.
Ayn Rand, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology

Directly or indirectly, every phenomenon of consciousness is derived from one's awareness of the external world. Some object, i.e., some content, is involved in every state of awareness.

quoteIt depends on what definition of consciousness, what definition of function, and what "something outside" means. You could lock a living child into a cage in a room, feed it and clean it with very little of the normative 5-senses stimulation, for years, and what comes out of that cage is still conscious in a rudimentary, but functional, way (sentient-- capable of feeling and suffering). On the other hand, a crab is conscious because it perceives that "something outside of itself". Or, a blind person is no less conscious, in general, than me, even if they have one less sense faculty.

The problem I have with your example is the child in question was not totally sense deprived.

What is meant by "phenomenon"-- thoughts? thought *patterns*? action potentials in the brain?

What is meant by "content"-- an external object? A concept drawn from reality? Words?