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4. The Measurement of Consciousness

David Gamez

Human and Machine Consciousness March 7, 2018 DOI: 10.11647/obp.0107.04 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Key points Proposes that measuring consciousness requires first identifying systems believed to be conscious and then making further assumptions to ensure accurate measurement.

Abstract

Scientists measure consciousness through first-person reports, which raises problems about the reliability of first-person reports, the possibility of non-reportable consciousness and the causal closure of the physical world. The fourth chapter addresses these issues by making assumptions that explain how consciousness can be measured. First, we need to identify the systems that we believe are conscious. Then we need to make other assumptions to ensure that consciousness can be accurately measured in these systems