Jorgensen, Larry M. "Seventeenth Century Theories of Consciousness." STANFORD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PHILOSOPHY July 29, 2010.

In the seventeenth century, “consciousness” began to take on a uniquely modern sense. This transition was sparked by new theories of mind and ideas, and it connected with other important issues of debate during the seventeenth century, including debates over the transparency of the mental, animal consciousness, and innate ideas. Additionally, consciousness was tied closely to moral identity, with both French and Latin lacking even a linguistic distinction between consciousness and conscience (i.e., a moral sensibility). This semantic shift marked a philosophical division between the psychological or phenomenal aspects of thought and a moral sensibility as well. The discussions on all of these topics were rich and varied in the seventeenth century—the article below provides a view from forty thousand feet. . . .

Read the rest here: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/consciousness-17th/.