Workshop 6: The consciousness problem

Question 1

The problem with objective measurement

Answer 1

Objective measures of subjective experiential factors are questionable

Much of psychology is concerned with people’s experience:
* Mental illness
* Motivation
* Intelligence
* Consciousness

Neuroscience is founded on objective measurement (e.g. electrical activity of the brain/ glucose metabolism)

Question 2

David Chalmers

Answer 2

conscious experience may represent a limit of science

▪Australian Philosopher born in 1966
▪Professor of philosophy and neural science at NYU ▪Career spent on consciousness (and related topics) since 1989 

Materialism

Dualism

Question 3

Materialism debate

Answer 3

Everything is ultimately physical - including consciousness
○ You can know all the physical processes of the brain (e.g. neurones) but it does not mean we can view consciousness

Question 4

Materialism: Type A

Answer 4

Could deny consciousness because of this… eliminative perspective (similarly to behaviourism)

Question 5

Materialism: Type B

Answer 5

there is a gap of the knowledge of the brain and consciousness - but only a conceptual gap - in nature consciousness and the brain are the same thing (still materialism because believe consciousness is not an independent thing)

Question 6

Materialism: Type C

Answer 6

attitude to consciousness: A neuroscience approach, an agonistic approach, materialism

Question 7

If believe consciousness is an independent process, rejecting materialism, what is there?

Answer 7

Dualism

Question 8

Dualism

Answer 8

○ 1 pov: Consciousness lies outside of physical processes completely - doesn’t impact behaviour

2nd pov: it is separate from the physical world/ processes, but does have a causal effect on physical processes - is the brain a closed system? (more radical view)

Question 9

Professor Giulio Tononi

Answer 9

▪Psychiatrist with PhD in Neuroscience
▪Two major contributions:

▪Sleep: Synaptic Homeostasis Hypothesis

▪Consciousness: Integrated Information Theory

Question 10

The Easy Problems

Answer 10

how does the brain function to produce (say) movement, memory, emotional responses, etc.

Question 11

The Hard Problem

Answer 11

how does brain produce
“experience”

The problem of experience will “…persist even when the performance of all the
relevant functions is explained” (Chalmers,
1995)

Question 12

Integrated information theory - Tononi

Answer 12

any conscious experience needs to be structured, for instance – if you look at the space around you, you can distinguish the position of objects relative to each other. It’s also specific and “differentiated” – each experience will be different depending on the particular circumstances, meaning there are a huge number of possible experiences.

And it is integrated. If you look at a red book on a table, its shape and colour and location – although initially processed separately in the brain – are all held together at once in a single conscious experience.

the more information that is shared and processed between many different components then the higher the level of consciousness

Question 13

David Chalmers: Materialism (3 types)

Answer 13

Everything is ultimately physical - including consciousness
○ Problem: You can know all the physical processes of the brain (e.g. neurones) but it does not mean we can view consciousness

Type A

Type B

Type C

Question 14

Materialism: Type A

Answer 14

Problem to materialism: You can know all the physical processes of the brain (e.g. neurones) but it does not mean we can view consciousness

Eliminative pov:
So could deny consciousness because of this problem! (similarly to behaviourism, ignoring consciousness)

Question 15

Materialism: Type B

Answer 15

there is a gap of the knowledge of the brain and consciousness - but only a conceptual/knowledge gap - in nature consciousness and the brain are the same thing (still materialism because believe consciousness is not an independent thing)

Question 16

Materialism: Type C

Answer 16

Attitude to consciousness: A neuroscience approach, an agonistic approach, materialism.

(Believe the gap in knowledge that we have right now can be solved in the future & will deduce the whole story)

Question 17

Reject materialism = Dualism

Answer 17

Rejecting materialism, you have to face consciousness as an independent process:

1 pov of Dualism: Consciousness lies outside of physical processes completely, the brain can effect consciousness but consciousness cannot effect the brain - doesn’t impact behaviour. Control is an illusion

2nd pov to Dualism: Radical view of dualism: consciousness is separate from the physical world/ processes, but does have a causal effect on physical processes - does impact behaviour (is physics a closed system? - loophole, like quantum physics)

Question 18

Idealism

Answer 18

all there is in the world is consciousness