# Consiousness Theories Definition > ’Consciousness’ is a term often used as a synonym for self-awareness, or for social\ > coordination of internal states, but I’m using it in a limited, technical sense: a system has consciousness\ > if it feels like something to be that system. I.e., something is conscious if and only if it has subjective\ > experience. ’Qualia’ refers to the elements of consciousness, e.g., redness. #### The Function of Dreaming: The Overfitted Brain Hypothesis By creating a weirded version of the world, dreams may make our understanding of it less simplistic and more well-rounded. “It is the very strangeness of dreams in their divergence from waking experience that gives them their biological function,” Hoel said. #### References \[1] M. E. Johnson, “Blueprint for a new science”. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://kdoore.gitbook.io/vital-intelligence/foundations/consiousness-theories.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.