Author: Velmans, M.

Source: Journal of Consciousness Studies, Volume 2, Number 3, 1 March 1995 , pp. 255-265(11)

Publisher: Imprint Academic

Abstract:

Within psychology and the brain sciences, the study of consciousness and its relation to human information processing is once more a focus for productive research. However, some ancient puzzles about the nature of consciousness appear to be resistant to current empirical investigations, suggesting the need for a fundamentally different approach. In Velmans (1991a; b; 1993a) I have argued that functional (information processing) accounts of the mind do not `contain' consciousness within their workings. Investigations of information processing are not investigations of consciousness as such. Given this, first-person investigations of experience need to be related nonreductively to third-person investigations of processing. For example, conscious contents may be related to neural/physical representations via a dual-aspect theory of information. Chalmers (1995) arrives at similar conclusions. But there are also theoretical differences. Unlike Chalmers I argue for the use of neutral information processing language for functional accounts rather than the term `awareness'. I do not agree that functionalctional equivalence cannot be extricated from phenomenal equivalence, and suggest a hypothetical experiment for doing so - using a cortical implant for blindsight. I argue that not all information has phenomenal accompaniments, and introduce a different form of dual-aspect theory involving `psychological complementarity'. I also suggest that the hard problem posed by `qualia' has its origin in a misdescription of everyday experience implicit in dualism.

Keywords: Consciousness; hard problem; psychological complementarity; third-person; first-person; blindsight; cortical implant; Chalmers; dual-aspect theory; information processing

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW, England.

Publication date: 1995-03-01

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