Task 2

Question 1

Easy Problem of Consciousness

Answer 1

refers to the various cognitive and neural processes that give rise to our subjective experience

–> concerned with the functional and mechanistic aspects of consciousness
–> perception, attention, memory, and the integration of information
–> concerned with psychological consciousness

Question 2

Hard Problem of Consciousness

Answer 2

deals with the fundamental question of why and how subjective experiences arise from physical processes in the brain

–> concerned with the subjective or experiential (first-person) nature of consciousness
–> concerned with phenomenal consciousness

Question 3

Constraints in discussing the hard problem

Answer 3

1. take consciousness seriously
2. take science seriously
3. take consciousness to be a natural phenomenon –> natural laws

Question 4

Qualia

Answer 4

a mental state is conscious if it has a qualitative feel

–> the subjective qualities of experiences that cannot be reduced to physical or objective properties

Question 5

Types of Conscious Experience

Answer 5

• sensory experiences
• Pain
• bodily sensations
• Mental imagery (moving inward to come to mental images)
• Conscious Thought (associated with qualia)
• Emotions
• The Sense of Self

Question 6

Phenomenal Concept of Mind/Consciousness

Answer 6

• subjective/experiential aspect of consciousness
• “what it feels like”
• qualia: qualities/properties of subjective experiences
• first-person data
• not yet fully understood —> hard problem

Question 7

Psychological Concept of Mind/Consciousness

Answer 7

• concerned with the content and processing of mental representations
• cognitive and functional aspects of consciousness
• introspective accessibility of information –> awareness
• third-person data
• causal role in the production of behavior
• integrates perception, thought, memory, and emotion

Question 8

How can mental properties be defined?

Answer 8

every mental property is either a phenomenal property, a psychological property, or some combination of the two

–> phenomenal and psychological properties often run together because they tend to co-occur and are bound by everyday concepts

Question 9

Belief

Answer 9

• psychological property
• explanatory construct: we attribute beliefs to others largely in order to explain their behavior
• a being must at least be capable of conscious experiences to believe anything at all

Question 10

Deflationary concept of belief

Answer 10

belief is purely psychological, not involving conscious experience

Question 11

Inflationary concept of belief

Answer 11

conscious experience is required for truly believing

—> philosophical zombie: psychological without phenomenal consciousness

Question 12

Varieties of Psychological Consciousness

Answer 12

• awakeness = consciousness defined as not asleep
• introspection = awareness of internal contents
• reportability = report contents of mental states
• self-consciousness = ability to think about ourselves
• attention = consciousness when paying attention
• voluntary control = consciousness when deliberate
• knowledge = consciousness when a fact is known

Question 13

Awareness

Answer 13

a state wherein we have access to some information and can use that information in the control of behavior

–> conscious experience that is reportable

Question 14

Link between consciousness and awareness

Answer 14

consciousness (phenomenal consciousness) is always accompanied by awareness (psychological consciousness), but awareness need not be accompanied by consciousness

–> one can be aware of a fact without any particular associated phenomenal experience