How to Mitigate the Hard Problem by Adopting the Dual Theory of Phenomenal Consciousness.
Frontiers in Psychology 2019 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02837 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Phenomenal consciousness Unconscious phenomenality |
| Citations | 29 |
| Key points | Proposes that the hard problem of consciousness is partly an artifact of the unitary approach, and that a non-unitary conception of experience reduces the mystery of consciousness. |
Abstract
In this paper, we propose the following hypothesis: the hard problem of consciousness is in part an artifact of what we call the unitary approach to phenomenal consciousness. The defining mark of the unitary approach is that it views consciousness and phenomenality as inseparable. Giving up this conceptual commitment redefines, in a productive way, the explanatory tasks of the theory of consciousness. Adopting a non-unitary conception of experience does not make the hard problem of consciousness go away completely but it shifts the locus of where the explanation of experience gets difficult, and cuts down the mystery of consciousness to size. Other advantages of the non-unitary account of consciousness are sketched as well.
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| How do the brain's time and space mediate consciousness and its different dimensions? Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC). | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The phenomenology of deep brain stimulation-induced changes in OCD: an enactive affordance-based model. | 2013 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- The function(s) of consciousness: an evolutionary perspective. Frontiers in Psychology 2024
- Seeing colours unconsciously Synthese June 1, 2022
- Scaling up from sentience: modularity, conscious broadcast, and a constitutive solution to the combination problem. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
- Against the intrinsic epistemicity of experience Philosophical Explorations September 4, 2026
- The function(s) of consciousness revisited: insights from a modular/constitutive model using vision as a test case Frontiers in Psychology June 22, 2026
and 1 more in the library
Cites 9
- Ten Problems of Consciousness The MIT Press eBooks November 17, 1995
- Exaggerated reports: reply to Block Analysis May 16, 2011
- Neural Correlates of Consciousness Meet the Theory of Identity. Frontiers in Psychology 2018
- Unitary and dual models of phenomenal consciousness. Consciousness and Cognition November 1, 2017
- Consciousness as a concrete physical phenomenon. Consciousness and Cognition September 1, 2019
and 4 more in the library