Digital Minds: Issues in the Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science
Bradford Saad, Andreas L. Mogensen
Philosophy Compass October 28, 2026 DOI: 10.1111/phc3.70141 (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 | The article frames digital minds research as a field addressing whether AI systems can be phenomenally conscious, can have propositional attitudes like belief and desire, and can persist through time akin to human personal identity, while highlighting methodological issues and connections to traditional philosophy of mind and cognitive science. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT This article provides a contemporary introduction to issues in the philosophy of mind and cognitive science that are studied within the emerging field of digital minds research. We explore the potential for AI systems to have mental states. Questions that we address include whether artificially intelligent systems can be phenomenally conscious and whether they can have propositional attitudes such as belief and desire. We also consider how digital minds might persist through time in a manner akin to how humans have personal identity through time. Along the way, we highlight methodological issues raised by these questions and examine how these questions relate to traditional issues in the philosophy of mind and cognitive science. We conclude by highlighting issues in this area that are ripe for further investigation.
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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Frames digital minds research as addressing whether AI systems can be phenomenally conscious, hold propositional attitudes, and persist through time, highlighting methodological issues and links to traditional philosophy of mind.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
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| Psychosis as a state of aberrant salience: a framework linking biology, phenomenology, and pharmacology in schizophrenia. | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From dopamine to salience to psychosis--linking biology, pharmacology and phenomenology of psychosis. | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How do the brain's time and space mediate consciousness and its different dimensions? Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC). | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The phenomenology of deep brain stimulation-induced changes in OCD: an enactive affordance-based model. | 2013 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 13
- On a confusion about a function of consciousness Behavioral and Brain Sciences June 1, 1995
- The search for invertebrate consciousness. Noûs March 1, 2022
- Ethics Without Sentience: Facing Up to the Probable Insignificance of Phenomenal Consciousness Journal of Consciousness Studies March 31, 2022
- THE SIGNIFICANCE ARGUMENT FOR THE IRREDUCIBILITY OF CONSCIOUSNESS Philosophical Perspectives December 1, 2017
- Evaluating animal consciousness. Science February 21, 2025
and 8 more in the library