Question
STUDYING CONCIOUSNESS
ATS 3298
Philosophy of consciousness and cognition
Assessment 1 info sheet
Instructions:
The assignments are designed to foster your ability to independently read and analyse philosophical texts. Your short written response should amount to a clear and succinct answer to the assignment question(s). Your response cannot be longer than 550 words (i.e., 500 + 10%). If you write significantly less than 500 words then it will be hard to obtain a good grade. Each assignment must be submitted on or before the corresponding deadline and to the corresponding dropbox on Moodle.
General guidance on your response
In your response, make sure
that you have identified key features from within the core readings pertinent
to addressing the assignment question(s).
Note: core readings =
required, recommended, wider readings.
Do NOT include material not
featured in the core readings (i.e., material from other sources).
Do NOT try to include all the
key and pertinent points featured in the core readings (you simply do not have
the word count to do this).
Be selective. Use your
judgement regarding which are the best points to feature in your response.
Cite core readings (either as
a footnote or in text) and include a reference list at the end (see referencing
guidelines below)
In short, then...
1. Answer the question(s)! You
are NOT being asked to summarise the whole set of readings.
2. Do not use quotes. You need
to use your own words.
3. Be careful not to just
paraphrase the text.
4. Important: Introduction and
conclusion are not required. Get to the point quickly.
Formatting: Responses
should be formatted using an easy-to-read 12-point font (e.g., Arial, Times New
Roman or Calibri). Use 1.5/2.0 line spacing. A cover sheet is not required.
Marking criteria for assignments 1-4:
Have you identified the most
relevant aspects of the core teaching material for answering the question(s)?
Have you accurately described
the author’s views and arguments?
Have you included critical
commentary (i.e., not just described the material but evaluated it in relation
to the question(s) being asked)?
Have you expressed yourself in
a clear, concise, yet informative, way that demonstrates your knowledge and
understanding?
Referencing style: Harvard
Q. What challenges face philosophers interested in studying consciousness? Are these challenges surmountable? In responding to these questions, selectively draw from the core readings used in weeks 1 and 2.
WEEK 1 Required reading:
de Quincey, (2006). Switched-on
consciousness. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 13(4), 7-12.
WEEK 2 required reading:
Seth, A.K., & Bayne, T.
(2022, in press) Theories of consciousness. Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
Be selective when reading this paper. Focus on Intro, HOT and GWT (pp. 1-6) and do not concern yourself with the neurological underpinnings mentioned in the paper. We wont be covering IIT and re-entry and predictive processing theories.
Expert Solution
What
challenges face philosophers interested in studying consciousness?
Philosophers have challenges in understanding
consciousness, characterized by misunderstandings regarding issues that
question or explain unconsciousness. Such misunderstandings are brought about
by philosophers intending to define and use consciousness meanings at a
particular set of times which brings about heated conversations as these
individuals argue as per their understanding of the meaning and use of consciousness.
During the insurgency of the term consciousness, there have been methodologies
put across by scholars to explain the term extensively. The methodologies
explain explanatory links between neural activity and consciousness (Seth,
2022). Such an establishment forms a basic argument for some philosophers in
defining the true meaning of consciousness. However, some philosophers explain
that this theorem on consciousness and neural activity is invalid; hence, they
come up with their definitions and meaning of consciousness; hence creating a
disconnect among each other on defining and understanding the true meaning of
consciousness. Hence, posing challenges to other philosophers interested in
studying consciousness.
Moreover, there are challenges among interested
philosophers in understanding consciousness because there are different
explanatory targets when it comes to consciousness. These different targets
cause misunderstandings and heated arguments among philosophers, posing a challenge.
The state of consciousness is divided into two groups that are the local and
global states; these states address different targets (Seth, 2022). There are
differences between the two states that are based on the properties of consciousness
and operative properties. These differences raise questions among philosophers
in their effort to comprehend the meaning of consciousness, posing a challenge
in explaining why mental contents are contextualized as either conscious or
unconscious (Seth, 2022). These challenges push philosophers to explain certain
aspects of consciousness and omit the rest, causing a challenge in understanding
consciousness in a whole spectrum.
The other challenge is posed by consciousness's
psychological, spiritual, and philosophical meanings. These means bring
discourse on establishing the most precise meaning of consciousness. The
philosophical means is deemed the most preferred meaning of consciousness (De
Quincey, 2006). However, this does not mean that it makes it easier to
comprehend consciousness and what it encompasses. On the contrary, preference
for the philosophical meaning poses an avenue for distinctions that make
consciousness inevitably ambiguous to define precisely. Thus, these
psychological, philosophical, and spiritual meanings of consciousness create an
avenue for arguments and misunderstandings on the meaning of unconsciousness
bringing forth the mix-up depicted among scholars and philosophers. Hence, such
back and forth on the most fundamental meaning of consciousness poses a
challenge among interested philosophers in studying consciousness.
Are
these challenges surmountable?
No. The challenges that arise among interested philosophers
in studying consciousness are insurmountable. No matter the differences
individuals make when explaining consciousness, there will always be cause
ambiguity in definition and meaning since its self-recursive. Hence the need
for philosophers interested in learning about consciousness, in taking the
initiative to explore the meaning behind consciousness, and also appreciate the
topic is delved into and learn about it, and limiting themselves to a
particular definition since by defining consciousness, they are putting are
limit to what the term can mean, which will cause uproars and misunderstanding
among various scholars. Also, consciousness is made of mysteries. These
mysteries have caused consciousness researchers to come up with different
theories to comprehend consciousness, and the topic is still controversial.
Thus, overcoming the challenges philosophers face in the effort to comprehend
it is insurmountable. For this reason, interested philosophers should delve
into the topic to better understand the whole spectrum of it and have a deeper
understanding of consciousness than their predecessors.
References
De
Quincey, C., 2006. Switched-on consciousness: Clarifying what it means. Journal
of Consciousness Studies, 13(4), pp.7-12. Available at:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41583-022-00587-4
Seth, A.K. and Bayne, T., 2022. Theories of consciousness. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, pp.1-14 .Available at: https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/imp/jcs/2006/00000013/00000004/art00001
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