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Consciousness > Problem 2 > Flashcards

Problem 2 Flashcards

1
Q

Consciousness

A

Refers to the having of perceptions, thoughts and feelings that is subjective to everyone

–> “Subjective quality of experience”

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2
Q

Conscious experience

A

Refers to the information processing we engage in when we

  1. perceive
  2. act
  3. think
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3
Q

When can we say that something or someone is conscious ?

A

If there is something it is like to be that being

–> it has a qualitative feel; an associated quality of experience

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4
Q

Phenomenal concept of mind

A

Refers to conscious experience

–> experiencing ones mental state consciously

e. g.: how does the mind feel?
- thus, 1st-person aspect

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5
Q

Psychological concept of mind

A

Refers to the causal or explanatory basis for behavior

e.g.: what does the mind do ?

- thus, 3rd-person aspect

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6
Q

Descartes thought the mind was a cogitatio.. What does that mean ?

A

That the mind is a content of experience

–> thought that the notion of an unconscious mental state was a contradiction

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7
Q

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 ?

A

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

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8
Q

Criticism on Ryles view

A
  1. If mental states themselves were behavioral dispositions, how could they cause behavior ?
  2. 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
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9
Q

Functionalism

(Lewis; Armstrong)

A

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

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10
Q

How did functionalism overcome all of the obstacles that Ryles view was not able to overcome ?

A
  1. Made mental states fully internal
    * can thus stand in the right kind of causal relation to behavior
  2. Allowed mental states to be defined in terms of their interaction with each other
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11
Q

Which main error did both functionalism and Ryles view make ?

A

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

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12
Q

How should one go about the study of the mind ?

A

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

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13
Q

Why do we usually assume that the phenomenal + psychological properties run together ?

A

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

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14
Q

How can we test whether a mental notion is primarily a psychological notion ?

A

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

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15
Q

Mind-body problem of the psychological aspect ?

A

Deals with the following question:

How can a physical system give rise to conscious experience ?

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16
Q

Mind-mind problem

A

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

17
Q

There are numerous psychological notions for which the term consciousness is sometimes used.

8 of them are most commonly used.

Name them.

A

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
18
Q

The term awareness is often used synonymously with the term consciousness.

Why is this wrong ?

A

Because, consciousness indeed is always accompanied by awareness but not vice versa

–> one can be aware of a fact w/o being conscious

19
Q

Belief

A

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

20
Q

The concept of belief can be divided into 2 aspects. Name them.

A

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

21
Q

Qualia

A

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 ?

22
Q

Easy problem of consciousness

A

Includes how the brain

  1. processes environmental stimulation
  2. integrates information
  3. produces reports on internal states
23
Q

Hard problem of consciousness

A

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

24
Q

When addressing the hard problem, one encounters certain constraints.

Name them.

A

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

25
Q

Why is it so hard to study consciousness using scientific methodology ?

A

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

26
Q

Can you explain qualia ?

A

No,

when trying to explain this, the same problems arise as when trying to explain consciousness.

27
Q

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.

A

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”

28
Q

Existence of consciousness

(Major target of explanation for consciousness)

A

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

29
Q

Character of consciousness

(Major target of explanation for consciousness)

A

Deals with the questions of

1. why individual experiences have their particular nature

2. why experiences are one way and not the other

30
Q

What should a theory of consciousness definitely include ?

A
  1. The conditions under which physical processes give rise to consciousness
  2. Explanation of how consciousness arises
31
Q

A specific mental concept can usually be analyzed in 3 ways.

Name them.

A

1. Phenomenal concept

2. Psychological concept

3. A combination of both

ex.: sensation = phenomenal; learning + memory = psychological

32
Q

What is meant by “the double life of mental terms” ?

A

Everyday mental concepts have both a psychological + phenomenal component

ex.: Pain has both phenomenal = feeling psychological + aversive reaction following it

33
Q

Easy part of the mind-body problem

A

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

34
Q

Hard part of the mind body problem

A

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

35
Q

Residue-mind problem

A

Deals with the link between the psychological mind + phenomenal mind which is not yet understood

–> understanding it is crucial to understanding consciousness

Consciousness (9 decks)

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