PRINCIPLES FOR A SYSTEMS-THEORETIC STUDY OF CONSCIOUSNESS: A LOGICAL-METHODOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
Doxa August 29, 2025 DOI: 10.18524/2410-2601.2025.1(43).346333 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key points | Argues that a coherent systemic account of consciousness requires a meta-theoretical framework built on three principles: structural-ontological neutrality, differentiation of perspectives, and embodiment. The author contends that modal counter-examples show the absence of any principle undermines the conditions for a systemic science of consciousness, and that together these principles provide a metaphysically neutral methodological minimum for integrating theories and preventing category errors. |
Abstract
The article proposes a set of methodological principles necessary for constructing a coherent and comprehensive systemic account of consciousness. It is argued that existing approaches (neurobiological, computational, phenomenological, or cultural) cannot converge without a meta-theoretical framework capable of coordinating heterogeneous data and avoiding entrenched metaphysical assumptions. Drawing on general systems theory, three principles are formulated: structural-ontological neutrality, which abstracts away from essentialist ontological commitments; differentiation of perspectives, which distinguishes first-person and third-person standpoints as well as the epistemic and ontic layers of these perspectives; and embodiment, which emphasizes the constraining and constitutive role of the substrate in a consciousness system. An analysis of modal counter-examples shows that the absence of any of these principles undermines the very conditions for a systemic science of consciousness. Taken together, these principles provide a methodological minimum for a metaphysically neutral framework for integrating theories, preventing category errors, and clarifying the structural conditions for the study of consciousness.