Identity: Consciousness and Infinity

In an obscure lecture, Immanuel Kant stated that God is not infinite in the mathematical sense, but rather, God is infinite in that he transcends all of our categories. While I tend to believe that God is, in a sense, infinite in both of these respects I find Kant's observation to be insightful. I find Kant's observation especially insightful with respect to understanding something of what it means to be created in the image of God.

No scientist or philosopher has ever provided an answer to the question, "What is consciousness?" The phenomenon that seems to be most essential to being human totally eludes all attempts at categorization or classification. No one knows what consciousness is. In this respect then, human consciousness appears to be infinite. Human consciousness is infinite in that it transcends all of our categories.

If human consciousness is infinite, what then is the difference between the human infinite and the infinity of God? I am tempted to draw a distinction between qualitative and quantitative infinity. I say "tempted" because I am certain that it will be ultimately unsatisfactory. Yet, for lack of a better distinction I will suggest that while God is infinite both qualitatively and quantitatively human consciousness is infinite only in a qualitative sense.