Consciousness: A Molecular Perspective
Philosophies December 6, 2017 DOI: 10.3390/philosophies2040026 (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 | Molecular mechanism Substrate independence Supervenience Information-processing theories Panpsychism |
| Key points | Argues that molecular organization is key to understanding the dynamics correlated with consciousness, challenging the consensus view. |
Abstract
This perspective examines the role of chemistry and molecular biology for a science of consciousness. Opposed to the consensus view, we argue that the molecular organization of biological systems is key to arrive at a thorough understanding of the dynamics correlated to the phenomenology of consciousness in complex organisms. This is indicated by the fact that the molecular sciences either provide one or more mechanisms directly related to phenomenology or otherwise describe the dynamics of the underlying substrate. In addition, we discuss substrate-independence in information-processing theories of consciousness and the issue of combination in panpsychist theories of consciousness, both from the angle of the molecular sciences. In any case, molecular details matter.
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Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Neural Correlates of Consciousness Meet the Theory of Identity. Frontiers in Psychology 2018
- Interfacing consciousness. Frontiers in Psychology 2024
- Emergence ex Machina: Correlates of Consciousness Qeios December 24, 2024
- Pharmaco-Analysis of Psychedelics—Philo-Fictions about New Materialism, Quantum Mechanics, Information Science, and the Philosophy of Immanence Philosophies December 30, 2023
- Towards new concepts for a biological neuroscience of consciousness Cognitive Neurodynamics June 10, 2020
Cites 5
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- The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
- Realistic Monism: Why Physicalism Entails Panpsychism Oxford University Press eBooks May 29, 2008
- Consciousness: here, there and everywhere? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences May 19, 2015
- A framework for consciousness Nature Neuroscience February 1, 2003