What is the book Consciousness: An Introduction about? - Chapter 0
What is the book Consciousness: An Introduction about? - Chapter 0
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Summaries per chapter with the 3rd edition of Consciousness: An Introduction by Blackmore & Troscianko
What is the book Consciousness: An Introduction about? - Chapter 0
...........Read moreWhen and how is the concept of consciousness introduced? - Chapter 1
...........Read moreWhat would it be like to be something else? - Chapter 2
...........Read moreWhat is the big illussion when researching consciousness? - Chapter 3
...........Read moreWhat is the role of neuroscience and how does it correlate with consciousness? - Chapter 4
...........Read moreHow can the brain be compared to a theater? - Chapter 5
...........Read moreHow does consciousness form a unity? - Chapter 6
...........Read moreWhat is the relationship between attention and awareness? - Chapter 7
...........Read moreWhat is the difference between consciousness and unconsciousness? - Chapter 8
...........Read moreHow are agency and free will related to consciousness? - Chapter 9
...........Read moreWhat is the relationship between evolution, the spirit of animals, and consciousness? - Chapter 10
...........Read moreWhat is the function of consciousness? - Chapter 11
...........Read moreHow are machines related to evolution? - Chapter 12
...........Read moreWhat are altered states of consciousness? - Chapter 13
...........Read moreWhat is the difference between reality and fantasy? - Chapter 14
...........Read moreWhat is the role of dreams in consciousness? - Chapter 15
...........Read moreWhat are the roles of ego theories and bundle theories about the self? - Chapter 16
...........Read moreHow do we perceive ourselves? - Chapter 17
...........Read moreWhat is meant by waking up? - Chapter 18
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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
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