A heterodox defense of the actualist higher-order thought theory.
Philosophical Studies January 1, 2022 Andrea Marchesi
A defense of the actualist higher-order thought theory of consciousness against four objections: that the theory is circular, that it cannot account for the privileged epistemic access we have to our own conscious states, that it cannot account for the evidence that all conscious states are represented, and that it fails to capture the intimacy we have with those states. The defense is partly heterodox, conceding to critics that the theory results from conceptual analysis, yet showing that the objections can still be answered.