Neural correlates of consciousness are not pictorial representations
Behavioral and Brain Sciences October 1, 2001 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x01520117 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that recent empirical data show convergence in describing consistent patterns of neural activity associated with visual consciousness, countering O'Regan and Noë's pessimism about neural correlates of consciousness. |
Abstract
O'Regan & Noë (O&N) are pessimistic about the prospects for discovering the neural correlates of consciousness. They argue that there can be no one-to-one correspondence between awareness and patterns of neural activity in the brain, so a project attempting to identify the neural correlates of consciousness is doomed to failure. We believe that this degree of pessimism may be overstated; recent empirical data show some convergence in describing consistent patterns of neural activity associated with visual consciousness.