Problem 2 Flashcards
Consciousness
Refers to the having of perceptions, thoughts and feelings that is subjective to everyone
–> “Subjective quality of experience”
Conscious experience
Refers to the information processing we engage in when we
- perceive
- act
- think
When can we say that something or someone is conscious ?
If there is something it is like to be that being
–> it has a qualitative feel; an associated quality of experience
Phenomenal concept of mind
Refers to conscious experience
–> experiencing ones mental state consciously
e. g.: how does the mind feel?
- thus, 1st-person aspect
Psychological concept of mind
Refers to the causal or explanatory basis for behavior
e.g.: what does the mind do ?
- thus, 3rd-person aspect
Descartes thought the mind was a cogitatio.. What does that mean ?
That the mind is a content of experience
–> thought that the notion of an unconscious mental state was a contradiction
In 1949, there was a shift in the emphasis from the phenomenal to the psychological explanations of the mind.
Gilbert Ryle was a pioneer. What did he argue ?
He suggested that all our mental concepts can be analyzed in terms of certain kinds of associated behavior or dispositions to behave in certain ways
–> logical behaviorism, most explicit link between mental concepts + causation of behavior
Criticism on Ryles view
- If mental states themselves were behavioral dispositions, how could they cause behavior ?
-
No mental state can be defined by a single range of behavioral dispositions, independent of any other mental states
* thus it is necessary to invoke other mental states in characterizing the behavioral dispositions associated with a even mental state
Functionalism
(Lewis; Armstrong)
Suggests that a mental state is characterized by its causal role
–> the kind of behavior the mind tends to produce + the way it interacts with other mental states
How did functionalism overcome all of the obstacles that Ryles view was not able to overcome ?
- Made mental states fully internal
* can thus stand in the right kind of causal relation to behavior - Allowed mental states to be defined in terms of their interaction with each other
Which main error did both functionalism and Ryles view make ?
They tried to put forward an explanation or analysis of all concepts instead of some
–> whereas when experiencing e.g. color, this is a distinct sensation
How should one go about the study of the mind ?
One should differentiate ones approach depending on what aspect of the mind one wants to study
–> phenomenal vs psychological
BUT: they should never be investigated as the same time
Why do we usually assume that the phenomenal + psychological properties run together ?
Because the relevant properties tend to co-occur
–> some dual concepts lean more strongly to one side than the other
e.g.: sensation more phenomenal than perception
How can we test whether a mental notion is primarily a psychological notion ?
By asking the self whether something can be instance of the mental notion w/o any associated phenomenal quality
ex. : 1. Learning is psychological as no phenomenal quality is required
2. Emotions are phenomenal
Mind-body problem of the psychological aspect ?
Deals with the following question:
How can a physical system give rise to conscious experience ?
Mind-mind problem
Deals with the following question:
Why and how are psychological properties accompanied by phenomenal properties ?
ex.: Why is all the stimulation + reaction associated with pain accompanied by the experience of pain
There are numerous psychological notions for which the term consciousness is sometimes used.
8 of them are most commonly used.
Name them.
1. Awakeness
- not asleep, therefore conscious
2. Introspection
- being aware of ones internal states
3. Reportability
- ability to report the contents of our mental states, but more constraint than introspection
4. Self-consciousness
- awareness of our own existence
5. Attention
6. Voluntary control
- ability to perform an act deliberately
7. Knowledge
8. Awareness
- state wherein we have access to info, often used synonymously
The term awareness is often used synonymously with the term consciousness.
Why is this wrong ?
Because, consciousness indeed is always accompanied by awareness but not vice versa
–> one can be aware of a fact w/o being conscious
Belief
Refers to a state wherein one acts in a way that is consistent with ones belief
–> psychological property refers to a propositional attitude
–> intentionality is central to it
The concept of belief can be divided into 2 aspects. Name them.
1. Deflationary concept
- purely psychological w/o involving conscious experience
2. Inflationary concept
- conscious experience is required
BUT: which one of the 2 is true doesn’t matter
Qualia
Refers to the qualitative feels that a mental state has to have in order to be conscious, that is subjective to every individual
–> part of the phenomenal concept of mind
ex.: Is my red your red ?
Easy problem of consciousness
Includes how the brain
- processes environmental stimulation
- integrates information
- produces reports on internal states
Hard problem of consciousness
Includes the question of why info processing is accompanied by an experienced inner life
–> standard methods of neuroscience + cognitive science do not address the questions of the hard problem
When addressing the hard problem, one encounters certain constraints.
Name them.
One should
1. take the problem of consciousness seriously
- assume it exists + not redefine the problem
2. take science seriously
- keep ideas compatible with contemporary science, w/o restricting the ideas to it
3. take consciousness to be a natural phenomenon, falling under the sway of natural laws
Why is it so hard to study consciousness using scientific methodology ?
Because, it is difficult
1. to observe the phenomenon
2. to come by 1st person data
–> we must first come by a coherent philosophical understanding before we can obtain relevant material
Can you explain qualia ?
No,
when trying to explain this, the same problems arise as when trying to explain consciousness.
Consciousness can be an ambiguous term, by referring to a number of phenomena such (examples are mentioned in a previous card)
However Chalmers means something completely different when talking about consciousness.
State what he means and the associated terms.
When Chalmers talks about consciousness he only means the subjective quality of experience
–> what is its like to be a cognitive agent:
a) Experience/Subjective experience
b) Qualia
c) Phenomenology/phenomenal
d) “What it is like”
Existence of consciousness
(Major target of explanation for consciousness)
It deals with the questions of
1. why it exists
2. whether it arises from physical system + how it arises
3. wether it is physical
4. how widespread it is
Character of consciousness
(Major target of explanation for consciousness)
Deals with the questions of
1. why individual experiences have their particular nature
2. why experiences are one way and not the other
What should a theory of consciousness definitely include ?
- The conditions under which physical processes give rise to consciousness
- Explanation of how consciousness arises
A specific mental concept can usually be analyzed in 3 ways.
Name them.
1. Phenomenal concept
2. Psychological concept
3. A combination of both
ex.: sensation = phenomenal; learning + memory = psychological
What is meant by “the double life of mental terms” ?
Everyday mental concepts have both a psychological + phenomenal component
ex.: Pain has both phenomenal = feeling psychological + aversive reaction following it
Easy part of the mind-body problem
Suggests that the psychological aspects of the mind pose technical problems for science but no deep metaphysical problems
BUT: it was dissolved, only smaller technical problems remain which can be dealt with easily
Hard part of the mind body problem
Deals with the question of how a physical system can give rise to conscious experience
–> link between physical + psychological has largely been answered; but not residue-mind
Residue-mind problem
Deals with the link between the psychological mind + phenomenal mind which is not yet understood
–> understanding it is crucial to understanding consciousness
