Process Metaphysics of Consciousness
Prentner Robert
Open Philosophy March 3, 2019 DOI: 10.1515/opphil-2018-0002 (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 | Process thought Consciousness Mereology Mereological structure Embodiment Constitution Causation Cognition Systems theory |
| Key points | Argues that adopting process metaphysics and mereological language dissolves the hard problem of consciousness, making it tractable for scientific inquiry. |
Abstract
In this article, we look at the hard problem of consciousness from the perspective of process metaphysics. We thereby identify three problematic premises of the problem that pertain to the constitution of consciousness and its causal relation to the world. We argue for the necessity of re-thinking the corresponding phenomena in terms of internally-structured processes. The hard problem would then cease to be an insurmountable obstacle to a science of consciousness. Furthermore, this line of reasoning is shown to be continuous with philosophical projects from the early 20th century that preceded the contemporary philosophy of mind. Specifically, we investigate the relationship of parts and wholes, and translate metaphysical problems of consciousness into mereological language. Despite this being a philosophical project, we frequently note and discuss links to the empirical sciences, in particular those of quantum mechanics, systems theory and the embodied cognition framework.
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Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- We need to explain subjective experience, but its explanation may not be mechanistic Neuroscience of Consciousness August 29, 2022
- Consciousness, 4E cognition and Aristotle: a few conceptual and historical aspects. Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience 2023
- Applying category theory to the study of consciousness? December 27, 2022
- Modeling Working Memory to Identify Computational Correlates of Consciousness Open Philosophy October 6, 2019