Noticing would be thoughts, but instinctive urges like fear or hunger I wouldn’t probably consider to be thoughts unless it is being noticed and processed somehow, because this can be happening automatically without consciousness and awareness. But once that urge or feeling is noticed then there is some “image” or “thought” of it, some indirect interpretation of the event.
In such case, I am thinking of consciousness as way of processing complex thoughts.
How would you define thoughts? Is it something you can notice happening, as opposed to a feeling or an urge, that just bubbles up?
Noticing would be thoughts, but instinctive urges like fear or hunger I wouldn’t probably consider to be thoughts unless it is being noticed and processed somehow, because this can be happening automatically without consciousness and awareness. But once that urge or feeling is noticed then there is some “image” or “thought” of it, some indirect interpretation of the event.
In such case, I am thinking of consciousness as way of processing complex thoughts.