Is our consciousness our self? We are born with a specific DNA in a random environment. Do the interactions of these two entities produce the self? Who are we anyway? The sum of our choice? Our will? In the end, we really do have to like ourselves, don't we? Otherwise life would be pointless and we sure would be of limited value to our fellow earthlings.

I'm curious. Do many people of color identify as agnostic or atheist?

I don't know

Dr. Sean Carroll Vs Alex Tsakiris. Dr Sean Carroll on the side of Materialism. Alex Tsakiris on the side of consciousness isn't localized in your brain.
This prominent scientist says life is meaningless… and he’s serious 314 [skeptiko.com]

This question is closely associated with the question of 'free will'.

I am not the 'full bottle' on this subject by any stretch of the imagination but I find it very interesting in how quantum indeterminacy gives rise to causal uncertainty at the synaptic level of brain functioning. This would seem to indicate that consciousness, although it manifests in the brain, is not fully causally determined in the physical world.

IMO The external was first. It is an elegant balance of chaos and order. It is relatively eternal as far as we know. So how do we know all of this? Because our internal systems interact with and digest the external (Universe) to create consciousness on an arc of progress over time.

That is a good question. A question I believe that can only be answered individually. How could one really provide a answer to that for another? Great question.

Yes.

Unless I'm misunderstanding the question, I think both. I don't think that's a dichotomy.

Ah, the hard question. It seems to me that consciousness is awareness and for us humans, reflective awareness. We are aware that we are aware. For me, it still is part of the evolutionary process. It's physics and chemistry.

The human brain and nervous system and their interactions with the environment create consciousness. That consciousness consists of schema and patterns of meaning we derive from those interactions.

Both.

The universe is electric in it's subtle nature (see "the electric universe" on YouTube). Our body is biochemical, and our nervous system, voluntary/involuntary systems are electrically controlled and/or induced. Your consciousness had a sense of the "I am" when you fetus-brain was developing...years before you could even conceptualize an "outside". It is physical internal interactions.

Purely functions of the brain. I am no neurologist but am quite certain, gut feeling that this is the case. There is no ghost in the machine.