Questioning Consciousness
Advances in Consciousness Research June 29, 1995 DOI: 10.1075/aicr.2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that consciousness of an object consists in habitually imagining the outcomes of possible actions toward it, and that mental images combine to form abstract concepts. Proposes that conscious processing is structurally distinct from but interrelated with non-conscious processing, and that mind relates to body as a process to its substratum, analogous to a sound wave and its medium. |
Abstract
Questioning Consciousness brings together neuroscientific, psychological and phenomenological research, combining in a readable format recent developments in image research and neurology. It reassesses the mind-body relation and research on 'mental models', abstract concept formation, and acquisition of logical and apparently 'imageless' inference skills. It is argued that to be conscious of an object is essentially to imagine in a habituated way what would happen if we were to perform certain actions in relation to the object; and that mental images fit together to build up abstract concepts. This analysis shows why conscious information processing is so structurally different from — yet interrelated with — non-conscious processing, and how mind and body interrelate as a process to its substratum in the way that a sound wave relates to the medium through which it passes. (Series A)