The Conscious Theory of Higher-Orderness
September 17, 2024 Nicholas Silins 16 citations
A philosophical chapter distinguishes two claims often conflated in debates about higher-order theories of consciousness: (i) that for any conscious mental state, the subject is aware of it (Necessary Awareness), and (ii) that the mental state is conscious because the subject is aware of it (Higher-Order Theory). The authors assume the first claim is true but argue against the second, proposing instead an inverted theory they call 'The Ascending Road': for any conscious mental state, the subject is aware of it because the mental state is conscious.