Closing in on the constitution of consciousness.
Frontiers in Psychology 2014 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01293 (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 | Binocular rivalry Consciousness Constitution Foundations Mechanistic explanation Neural correlates Philosophy of science |
| Citations | 17 |
| Key points | Argues that the correlation/constitution distinction problem in consciousness science is not fully solved by current strategies, including combined inhibition and stimulation approaches. |
Abstract
The science of consciousness is a nascent and thriving field of research that is founded on identifying the minimally sufficient neural correlates of consciousness. However, I have argued that it is the neural constitution of consciousness that science seeks to understand and that there are no evident strategies for distinguishing the correlates and constitution of (phenomenal) consciousness. Here I review this correlation/constitution distinction problem and challenge the existing foundations of consciousness science. I present the main analyses from a longer paper in press on this issue, focusing on recording, inhibition, stimulation, and combined inhibition/stimulation strategies, including proposal of the Jenga analogy to illustrate why identifying the minimally sufficient neural correlates of consciousness should not be considered the ultimate target of consciousness science. Thereafter I suggest that while combined inhibition and stimulation strategies might identify some constitutive neural activities-indeed minimally sufficient constitutive neural activities-such strategies fail to identify the whole neural constitution of consciousness and thus the correlation/constitution distinction problem is not fully solved. Various clarifications, potential objections and related scientific and philosophical issues are also discussed and I conclude by proposing new foundational claims for consciousness science.
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| 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 10
- Neural correlates of consciousness: progress and problems Nature Reviews Neuroscience April 20, 2016
- The claustrum and consciousness: An update. International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP September 7, 2023
- DREAM: A Dream EEG and Mentation database May 16, 2023
- A dream EEG and mentation database. Nature Communications August 13, 2025
- A mechanistic alternative to minimal sufficiency as the guiding principle for NCC research. Neuroscience of Consciousness 2024
and 5 more in the library
Cites 22
- On a confusion about a function of consciousness Behavioral and Brain Sciences June 1, 1995
- The Neural Correlates of Consciousness Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences March 1, 2008
- Distilling the neural correlates of consciousness Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews December 17, 2011
- Consciousness in humans and non-human animals: recent advances and future directions Frontiers in Psychology 2013
- The ‘correlates’ in neural correlates of consciousness Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews June 5, 2011
and 17 more in the library