Denise Gamble

P-Consciousness presentation/A-Consciousness representation

Behavioral and Brain Sciences March 1, 1997 Denise Gamble

P-consciousness (P) is an immediate fluctuating continuum of raw experiential matter, while A-consciousness (A) acts to objectify and impose form, making contents thinkable. A representationalizes P, but P itself is not representational under certain concepts of representation. Block's arguments do not establish that P is representational, and given his cognitive science assumptions, he cannot account for the phenomenal content he claims goes beyond representational content. The BBS discussion shows the need for greater analysis and justification for a representationalist thesis of P.