How Not to Find the Neural Correlate of Consciousness
The Foundations of Cognitive Science July 26, 2001 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198238904.003.0001 (opens in new tab)
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AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that historical scientific concepts like 'degree of heat' and Aristotle's 'velocity' were ambiguous, referring to distinct phenomena that did not coincide, leading to confusion until the distinctions were recognized. |
Abstract
Abstract The concept of H2O and the concept of water are two concepts of the same thing, as are the concepts of temperature and mean molecular kinetic energy. But something like the converse case is also common. In the seventeenth century, there were two concepts whose referents did not coincide, both denoted by the ambiguous phrase now translated as ‘degree of heat’. When they measured “degree of heat” by whether various sources could melt paraffin, heat source A came out hotter than B. When they measured “degree of heat” by how much ice a heat source could melt in a given time, B was hotter than A (Wiser and Carey 1983). We now know that the latter method measured heat whereas the former measured temperature. Aristotle used a term we translate as ‘velocity’ sometimes to mean average velocity, sometimes to mean instantaneous velocity. Again, his failure to see the distinction led to trouble.