Adaptive Complexity and Phenomenal Consciousness
Philosophy of Science December 1, 2000 Shaun Nichols, Todd Grantham
Arguments about the evolutionary function of phenomenal consciousness are beset by the problem of epiphenomenalism. For if it is not clear whether phenomenal consciousness has a causal role, then it is difficult to begin an argument for the evolutionary role of phenomenal consciousness. We argue that complexity arguments offer a way around this problem. According to evolutionary biology, the...