A Naturalistic Approach to the Hard Problem of Consciousness
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience October 25, 2019 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2019.00058 (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 | Consciousness Dualism Social realities Qualia Emergence Self-model |
| Key points | Argues that the hard problem of consciousness arises from cognitive constructs shaped by socio-cultural priors and can be explained naturalistically within an evolutionary framework. |
Abstract
Following a brief review of current efforts to identify the neuronal correlates of conscious processing (NCCP) an attempt is made to bridge the gap between the material neuronal processes and the immaterial dimensions of subjective experience. It is argued that this “hard problem” of consciousness research cannot be solved by only considering the neuronal underpinnings of cognition. The proposal is that the hard problem can be treated within a naturalistic framework if one considers not only the biological but also the socio-cultural dimensions of evolution. The argument is based on the following premises: perceptions are the result of a constructivist process that depends on priors. This applies both for perceptions of the outer world and the perception of oneself. Social interactions between agents endowed with the cognitive abilities of humans generated immaterial realities, addressed as social or cultural realities. This novel class of realities assumed the role of priors for the perception of oneself and the embedding world. A natural consequence of these extended perceptions is a dualist classification of observables into material and immaterial phenomena nurturing the concept of ontological substance dualism. It is argued that perceptions shaped by socio-cultural priors lead to the construction of a self-model that has both a material and an immaterial dimension. As priors are implicit and not amenable to conscious recollection the perceived immaterial dimension is experienced as veridical and not derivable from material processes—which is the hallmark of the hard problem. These considerations let the hard problem appear as the result of cognitive constructs that are amenable to naturalistic explanations in an evolutionary framework.
Comparable studies
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| 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 4
- Neuro-functional modeling of near-death experiences in contexts of altered states of consciousness. Frontiers in Psychology 2022
- Perspectivas del estudio de la consciencia: aproximación desde las ciencias de la complejidad y la biología evolutiva Entreciencias diálogos en la Sociedad del Conocimiento March 4, 2024
- Awareness and consciousness in humans and animals - neural and behavioral correlates in an evolutionary perspective. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience 2022
- Comment on "A thermodynamic approach to the problem of consciousness". Medical Hypotheses March 1, 2020
Cites 7
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- Breakdown of Cortical Effective Connectivity During Sleep Science September 29, 2005
- Distilling the neural correlates of consciousness Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews December 17, 2011
- Facing up to the hard question of consciousness. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences September 19, 2018
- From the Phenomenology to the Mechanisms of Consciousness: Integrated Information Theory 3.0 PLoS Comput. Biol. May 1, 2014
and 2 more in the library