[cross-posted at Philosophy Sucks!]
Some time ago I was invited to contribute a paper to a forthcoming volume entitled Being in Time: Dynamical Models of Phenomenal Experience. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was invited because of my paper “What is a Brain State?” Looking back at that paper, which I was writing in 2004-2005, I was interested in questions about the Identity Theory and not so much about consciousness per se and I wished I had said something relating the thesis there to various notions of consciousness. So I was happy to take this opportunity to put together a general statement of my current views on this stuff as well as a chance to develop some of my recent views about higher-order theories. Overall I think it is a fairly decent statement of my considered opinion on the home of consciousness in the brain. Any comments or feedback is greatly appreciated!
This is a very beautiful and interesting research. The most educating one i have read today! GED Online
If it is empirically possible to build something like Commander Data then the type-type identity theory is not true. In that case a kind of functionalism would be true about the mind.
Let’s not go false choice here, if type-type theory doesn’t quite work, classic functionalism hasn’t exactly thrilled the audience over the last generation, either.
Token-token theories might fit in-between, and my interest has for some time been more along those lines, but more to the point we should build a theory that does the right work and taxonomize it afterwards.
What are your criteria for a theory that “does the right work”? For example, here’s a well specified theory:
https://people.umass.edu/trehub/YCCOG828%20copy.pdf
In your opinion, does it do the right work?
At a quick browse – I’d say this does the right work and in a way I’m very sympathetic to, in physically realized ways. There are still issues of matching the conceptual framework of biology, with the conceptual framework used in philosophy of mind, I think such an effort promises benefits to both sides. Is your theory in violation of OP’s type-type issues, is your theory a classic token-token theory?
The paper itself is of course quite involved, and I’d need more time to determine what issues, pro or con, I can draw further from it. Thanks.