Consciousness

Question 1

John Searle about consciousness

Answer 1

“Consciousness consists of those states of sensation, or feeling, or awareness, which begin in the morning when we awake from a dreamless sleep and continue throughout the day until we fall into a coma, or die, or fall asleep again, or otherwise become unconscious”.

Question 2

A qualia

Answer 2

what it feels like

Question 3

David Chalmers

Answer 3

1. The hard problem
   2.

Question 4

Philosophical zombies

Answer 4

“Watson” a computer that can win on hulans at Jeopardy. System functionaly identical but the consciousness is the extra ingredient.”

Question 5

Distinctions in consciousness

Answer 5

1. Experience VS function
2. Self awareness VS others awareness
3. Level VS content

Question 6

Level VS Content

Answer 6

Level
(intransitive)
state of wakefulness

Content of consciousness
(transitive)
refers to what goes through our mind when we’re aware of some states of affairs (check)

Wakefulness and awareness can dissociate
sleeping : aware but not awake
Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome : awake but not aware

Question 7

Self VS others mind

Answer 7

compléter avec schéma des slides

Question 8

Experience VS function

Answer 8

Access consciousness
conscious representations are globally accessible in a way that unconscious representations are not

Phenomenal consciousness
conscious representations are experienced , they form the content of the subjective experience

à compléter “ wether a- or p- consciousness …”

Question 9

Illusion

Answer 9

knowledges of the potential source of information give us the illusion that we know the details

Question 10

Anil Seth

8 challenges

Answer 10

1. Critical regions for consciousness ?
2. Mechanism of general anesthesia ?
3. Self ?
4. experience of volution and will ?
5. function of consciousness ? What are experiences for ?
6. How rich is consciousness ?
7. Are other animals conscious ?
8. Are vegetative patients conscious ?

Question 11

Dennett
VS
Rosenthal

Answer 11

Dennett : Fame in the brain model

Rosenthal : higher order thoughts

Question 12

Paradigms

Answer 12

Stimulus doesn’t change, representation changes

1. Binocular rivalry
2. No report paradigm (optical nystagmus)
3. powerfull movement illusion

Stimulus changes, representation doesn’t

1. Change blindness
2. Subliminal perception (temporal dynamic of conscious access)
3. Blindsight
4. Mind reading

Unconscious action

1. Change movement but didn’t notice the target changed

Question 13

3 challenges when designing a paradigm

Answer 13

1. Definitional challenges
2. Methodological challenges
3. Epistemological challenges (what do we do with what we’ve learn)

Question 14

Level of consciousness