![Image](https://www.worldsupporter.org/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/bundle/wereldbol_summaries_joho_single_boek_1_150x190px_0.png?itok=PgQm9J5z)
JoHo kan jouw hulp goed gebruiken! Check hier de diverse studentenbanen die aansluiten bij je studie, je competenties verbeteren, je cv versterken en een bijdrage leveren aan een tolerantere wereld
Questions about the nature of consciousness are closely tied to questions about the nature of the self. The 'self' we experience seems to be central to everything we are aware of at every moment. As a result, the self has both uniqueness and continuity. The problems start when you ask what kind of thing that experience might be.How is it that we feel that there is a 'self' that has all kinds of experiences? There are two ideas about the self in psychology:there is such a thing as a self that has all kinds of experiences and makes decisions, and it seems as if there is a self, but this in reality, this is not the caseFrom the first vision the egotheories arise and from the second vision the bundling theories originated. In many religions the first vision is assumed. Only in Buddhism is it denied that the self exists. Many forms of substance dualism are egotheories, because they state that the mind equals the self. An example is the theory of 'dualist interactionism' by Popper and Eccles. According to this theory, the self-conscious mind has control over the brain. The distinction between monists and dualists is not the same as the distinction between egotheories and bundle theories. There are materialists (monists) who believe that there is a self.Bundle theories are based on the work of Hume that states that the self does not exist, but that there is a bundle of sensations. The life of a person would consist of a succession of sensations, impressions and ideas, which follow each other in a continuous flow at lightning speed, for a lifetime. Hume and Buddha share the idea that there is no self. Hume, however, admitted that bundle theories go against something that we perceive as normal. We all have the feeling that there is a self. In people with multiple personalities, it seems that several selves live in them. For example,...
JoHo can really use your help! Check out the various student jobs here that match your studies, improve your competencies, strengthen your CV and contribute to a more tolerant world
The problem of consciousness is related to some of the oldest questions of philosophy: what does the world consist of? Who am I? It relates to the mind-body problem: what is the relationship between the physical and the mental?
Despite the fact that we are learning more and more about the functioning of the brain, consciousness remains a mystery. In the past, they used the term 'élan vital' to explain how non-living things could be made alive. Nowadays this concept is no longer used, since we know that biological processes are responsible for this. Some scientists believe that the same will also happen with the term consciousness. Once we understand how brain processes create a sense of consciousness, then we might not need to use this term anymore.
Consciousness requires some sort of dualism: objectivity vs. subjectivity, inner vs. outer, mind vs. body...
For example: Take a pencil in your hand and look at it. You see the pencil from your own unique perspective, which you cannot share with others. The pencil is part of the outside world, your experience with the pencil is part of your inner world.
The way philosophers view the consciousness problem can generally be divided into monist theories, which suggest that there are one kind of things in the world, and dualist theories, which suggest that there are two kinds of things. Some theories state that the mental world is fundamental and some theories state that the physical world is fundamental.
Monistic theories assume that the world consists of only one kind of matter (body or mind). Some monistic theories state that everything consists of the mind, according to these theories we only have ideas and perceptions of a pencil. We do not know if a pencil really exists. People who assume this are called mentalists or idealists. Berkeley supported this principle. The disadvantage of this perspective is that we can never know for certain whether objects with fixed characteristics exist.
Materialists are also monists. They believe that there is only matter. An example for this is the identity theory, which states that mental experiences are the same as physical experiences. Another example is functionalism, which assumes that mental experiences are the same as functional experiences.
Epiphenomenalism assumes that physical processes cause mental events, but that mental events have no effect on physical events. Huxley was a supporter of this idea. He did not deny that consciousness or subjective experiences existed, but stated that they have no (causal) connection with physical processes. He used
.......read moreJoHo kan jouw hulp goed gebruiken! Check hier de diverse studentenbanen die aansluiten bij je studie, je competenties verbeteren, je cv versterken en een bijdrage leveren aan een tolerantere wereld
There are several ways to navigate the large amount of summaries, study notes en practice exams on JoHo WorldSupporter.
Do you want to share your summaries with JoHo WorldSupporter and its visitors?
Field of study
Add new contribution