Neural correlates of consciousness reconsidered
Consciousness and Cognition June 1, 2012 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2011.03.012 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the search for neural correlates of consciousness is better characterized as an attempt to locate a causally relevant neural mechanism, not merely a discrete neural representation whose content correlates with experience. |
Abstract
It is widely accepted among philosophers that neuroscientists are conducting a search for the neural correlates of consciousness, or NCC. Chalmers (2000) conceptualized this research program as the attempt to correlate the contents of conscious experience with the contents of representations in specific neural populations. A notable claim on behalf of this interpretation is that the neutral language of "correlates" frees us from philosophical disputes over the mind/body relation, allowing the science to move independently. But the experimental paradigms and explanatory canons of neuroscience are not neutral about the mechanical relation between consciousness and the brain. I argue that NCC research is best characterized as an attempt to locate a causally relevant neural mechanism and not as an effort to identify a discrete neural representation, the content of which correlates with some actual experience. It might be said that the first C in "NCC" should stand for "causes" rather than "correlates."
Citations in the library
Cited by 16
- Predictive processing as a systematic basis for identifying the neural correlates of consciousness Philosophy and the Mind Sciences December 30, 2020
- Explanation in the science of consciousness: From the neural correlates of consciousness (NCCs) to the difference makers of consciousness (DMCs) Philosophy and the Mind Sciences December 30, 2020
- Electromagnetism's Bridge Across the Explanatory Gap: How a Neuroscience/Physics Collaboration Delivers Explanation Into All Theories of Consciousness. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience June 16, 2022
- Neural Correlates of Consciousness Meet the Theory of Identity. Frontiers in Psychology 2018
- Closing in on the constitution of consciousness. Frontiers in Psychology 2014
and 11 more in the library
Cites 5
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