Ethics of Uncertainty
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Author Description
Consciousness Isn't A Thing You Can Poke A Stick At. It's Not A Natural Kind, Like A Bit Of Quartz, Or Quarks, Or Water. Like Life, Which Can Be Attributed To Many Entities, But Is Not A Thing With Reality Apart From Living Entities, Consciousness Can Be Attributed To Conscious Entities Without Being Some Further Thing Or Fact, Some Mysterious, Mentalizing Force That Can Exist Without Conscious Entities. It Is Manifested In Conscious States And Creatures, But Isn't A Thing In And Of Itself. One Of The Enduring Puzzles About Consciousness And Conscious States Is How They, As Apparently Mental, Nonphysical States, Can Manifest In A Physical Entity Like A Brain. We Can Point To A Physical Bit Of Brain, To A Neuron, Or A Structure Like The Thalamus, But We Can't Locate The Consciousness Within That Bit Of Brain Or Its Neural Cells--
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This work investigates the ontological status of consciousness and the ethical implications of its manifestation within physical biological systems. The author, L. Syd M. Johnson, utilizes a philosophical framework to challenge the notion of consciousness as a discrete, independent entity, arguing instead that it is a property attributed to conscious beings rather than a substance in itself. By examining the intersection of neural structures and mental states, the text addresses the persistent difficulty of reconciling nonphysical experiences with physical brain architecture.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of consciousness as a non-reductive property of living entities
- Philosophical arguments regarding the mind-body problem and neural correlates
- Ethical considerations concerning the treatment of entities with varying levels of consciousness
Scope Limits
- Does not provide a definitive neurobiological map of consciousness
- Does not offer a comprehensive clinical guide for neurological disorders
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts in the field of philosophy of mind recognize this text as a rigorous contribution to the ongoing debate regarding physicalism and mental states. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which requires a foundational understanding of metaphysical concepts to fully grasp the author's arguments.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
2022-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press,
ISBN-10:
0190943653
ISBN-13:
9780190943653
Philosophy
Neuroscience
Consciousness Disorders
Philosophy of
Ethics
Uncertainty
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