The Origin of Consciousness
Pragmatics & Cognition December 31, 2010 DOI: 10.1075/pc.18.3.02col (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 3 |
| Key points | Argues that consciousness is defined and applied variably across clinical, cognitive, and philosophical contexts, and that its origins are debated through top-down and bottom-up models, with neural correlates and evolution as key considerations. |
Abstract
This paper introduces the background to the debate addressed by the papers of this Special Issue of Pragmatics & Cognition. Starting with a definition of consciousness it traces some ways in which the term is applied; from clinical medicine, where it relates somewhat crudely to responsiveness to external stimuli, to more cognitive and philosophical aspects such as higher order consciousness and its content. It then discusses the relation of consciousness to brain anatomy, the neural correlates of consciousness, and its possible evolution. In the meeting which forms the basis for Frith’s core paper, Christof Koch also made important contributions, here précised. A discussion of the origins of consciousness in relation to the top-down and bottom-up models brought to the fore follows suit.