neuroscience and the 'problem' of consciousness:

Question 1

what is the problem with the objective measurements of neuroscience?

Answer 1

it is founded on the objective measurement- objective measures of subjective experiential factors are questionable.

Question 2

what are the gaps in knowledge created by neuroscience?

Answer 2

intelligence
inter-personal relationships
mental illness
consciousness

Question 3

what is the idea of thhe brain and mind, according to neuroscience?

Answer 3

conscious experience may represent a limit of science

Question 4

what is substance dualism?

Answer 4

Metaphysical force that influences our consciousness- interacts with our brain
Dualism= Descartes
* a field that exists in its own parallel “realm” of existence outside reality so cant be seen

Question 5

what is emergent dualism?

Answer 5

complicated number of brain studies, the brain interacts with the outside but is s complication of brin states that come together to form consciousness
* a sensation that “grows” inevitablt out of complicated brain states.

Question 6

what is property dualism?

Answer 6

The physical property of the brain isn’t known yet
Other forces may be going on but we are unaware of it.
* a physical property of all matter, like electromagnetism, just not one the scientists know about

Question 7

what is Pan Psychism?

Answer 7

consciousness is part of the psychic property
* all matter has psychic part, consciousness is just the psychic part of our brain

Question 8

what is behaviourism?

Answer 8

don’t concern themselves with what is going on inside the rain
Physical behaviours is what they look at
Don’t concern themselves with consciousness
* literally just behaviour. when we behave in a certain way, we appear conscious.

Question 9

what is cognitivism?

Answer 9

combination of all our thoughts and together they form consciousness and subjective experience
* the sensation of your most significant thoughts being highlighted

Question 10

what is identity theory?

Answer 10

looks different regions of the brain and how individually they act
* mental states are physical events that we can see in brain scans

Question 11

what is functionalism?

Answer 11

consciousness is just a function of the brain
* consciousness and its states (belief, desire, pain) are simply functions the brain perfroms

Question 12

what did David Chalmer state idealism was?

Answer 12

all that exists is consciousness, matter is an concept of consciousness

Question 13

what did david chalmer state dualism was?

Answer 13

the midn and body are fundamentally seperate

Question 14

what did david chalmer state materialism was?

Answer 14

had to be true in the eyes of science
Everything is ultimately physical

Question 15

what are the two main concepts of where consciousness fits?

Answer 15

1. Consciousness lies outside of physical processes- doesn’t impact/ influence the brain
   - Causation= 1 way street between physics and consciousness
   - Doesn’t directly impact behaviour
2. Most radical form= consciousness exists separate from the physical world but has a causal impact on the brain
   - 2 way causal relationship (consciousness affects behaviour but behaviour affects consciousness
   - Physics isn’t a closed system

Question 16

what are the 3 attitudes to consciousness according to david chalmer?

Answer 16

1. type A
2. type B
3. type C

Question 17

define a type A attitude towards consciousness:

Answer 17

nothing to explain in the brain- consciousness isn’t important
E.g.: behaviourism

Question 18

define a type B attitude towards consciousness:

Answer 18

consciousness exists but there is a fundamental gap in knowledge of the brain to understand consciousness- in knowledge
○ Consciousness and the brain are the same- in principle
○ Physical processes (outside) mental processes (inside)- two ways of thinking of the same thing
Could know about all neurons of the brain but wouldn’t know about consciousness

Question 19

define a type C attitude towards consciousness:

Answer 19

is a gap in our current theories that can’t tell us about consciousness, not smart enough yet to know about consciousness
○ In the future we will be able to figure out about consciousness- physical sense (just not there yet).
○ Agnostic view: somewhere along the line we will understand about consciousness
- May be a non-linear relationship between consciousness and the brain.
Principle gap: neuroscience will give more structure of the brain

Question 20

how does david chalmer define his type A attitudes to consciousness?

Answer 20

behaviourism

Question 21

how does david chalmer describe a thrid (type c) attitude to consciousness?

Answer 21

A neuroscience approach, an agonistic approach, materialism

Question 22

what were professor giulio tononi’s 2 major contribution to the phenomenon of consciousness?

Answer 22

1. Sleep: Synaptic
   - Consolidation of memory through sleep
2. Homeostasis Hypothesis

Question 23

what is the intergrated information theory?

Answer 23

attempts to identify the essential properties of consciousness (axioms) and, from there, infers the properties of physical systems that can account for it (postulates)
* reducible and measures ideas of consciousness ina reductionist way.

Question 24

what is quantum consciousness?

Answer 24

hypotheses proposing that local physical laws and interactions from classical mechanics or connections between neurons alone cannot explain consciousness.

Question 25

what is cognitivism?

Answer 25

the sensation of your most significant thoughts being highlighted.

Question 26

what is higher order theory?

Answer 26

consciousness is just higher order thoughts about other thoughts.