Resolving the hard problem and calling for a small miracle
A. Reber
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key points | Argues that the Cellular Basis of Consciousness theory, which holds that sentience accompanies the earliest life forms, is broadly accepted in its core assumption by most commentators (except Key), and that it resolves the Hard Problem by redirecting the biochemical search away from human consciousness while reducing the need for an emergentist miracle to a simpler scale. |
Abstract
: With the exception of the commentary by Key, the commentaries on Reber have a common feature: the commenters feel, with varying levels of enthusiasm, that there is at least some virtue in the core assumption of the Cellular Basis of Consciousness (CBC) theory that consciousness (or subjectivity or sentience) accompanies the earliest forms of life. The model has two important entailments: (a) it resolves the (in)famous Hard Problem by redirecting the search for the biochemical foundations of sentience away from human consciousness; and (b) it reduces the need for an emergentist miracle to a far simpler scale than is currently assumed. The CBC is grounded in classical principles of evolutionary biology, which it shares with allied areas of research on emotion, learning, memory and perception
Citations in the library
Cites 5
- Caterpillars, consciousness and the origins of mind Animal Sentience July 26, 2016
- How could consciousness emerge from adaptive functioning September 12, 2016
- Mind/body “hard problem” is not a category error Animal Sentience September 6, 2016
- Bacteria and the cellular basis of consciousness 2016
- Insects have the capacity for subjective experience 2016