Interpreting Consciousness
How do we interpret consciousness?
M.P.Lietz Student
University of Groningen
Student number: s3013391
Mentor group number: 1514
Mentors: Dinha and Lieze
Date: 18-10-2015
Introduction
‘I think, therefore I am’ (Descartes, 1637). Most people can agree on that because it is the only certainty about consciousness so far. The book ‘Psychological Science’ defines consciousness as the individuals’ subjective experience of the world, resulting from brain activity (Gazzaniga, Heatherton, & Halpern, 2015, pp. 132 – 133). Even though this sound plausible there is still a broad disagreement due to its lack of empirical evidence. So how do we interpret the consciousness?
Body
Summery One
According to neuroscientist Michael Graziano, Consciousness is the result of the brains attempt to make a model of its environment with sensory input
…show more content…
(2013, September 12). Motherboard. Retrieved 24 October 2015, from http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/consciousness-is-just-your-brain-making-a-model-of-itself
Descartes, R. (1637). Discourse on the Method. France.
Gazzaniga, M., Heatherton, T., & Halpern, D. (2015). Psychological Science. (S. L. Snavely, Ed.) (5th ed.). United States: W. W. Norton & Company.
Graziano, M. S. A. (2013). Consciousness and the Social Brain. New York, USA: Oxford University Press.
Hameroff, S., & Penrose, R. (2014). Consciousness in the universe. Physics of Life Reviews, 11(1), 39–78. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.plrev.2013.08.002
Citations. Quotes & Annotations
Andavolu, K. (2013, September 12). Motherboard. Retrieved 24 October 2015, from http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/consciousness-is-just-your-brain-making-a-model-of-itself
"Consciousness [is] the magic sauce of being [...]" (Andavolu, 2013)
Descartes, R. (1637). Discourse on the Method. France.
"I think, therefore I am" (Descartes, 1637)
Graziano, M. S. A. (2013). Consciousness and the Social Brain. New York, USA: Oxford University Press.
"hard problem" (Graziano, 2013, p.
Ap Psychology Chapter 1 Study Guide
1476 Words | 6 PagesHowever, advancements in the field made it possible to better understand that not only was psychology more complex than concepts of consciousness, but also that there were many other mental aspects at play. Consciousness has since been redefined to express the idea of awareness – both of personal being and the environment that exists around it. It is through cognitive neuroscience, which is the study of the brain in relation to its mental processes, that scientists can better understand the level of consciousness. Knowing how the body reacts at various levels, what human control exists in each and how they contribute to the activities of the brain can likely explain a lot about human behavior. Within cognitive neuroscience, the latest research is able to the show the ways in which brain activity centered on imagined thoughts, personal ideals and concepts and the inner working of this organ direct behavior among individuals of varying backgrounds and physical
9/11 Themes
1235 Words | 5 PagesConsciousness is being aware of your surroundings and this is something America has learned from 9/11. We are aware of everything around us and we learned how to be extra cautious. The rescuers put themselves at risk and knew that there was a possibility that everything could collapse on them and they could die….. they still went down and climbed through the wreckage to save John and Will
Cartesian Ontological Argument
1294 Words | 6 PagesIn Meditations, Descartes formulates the framework and guidelines of his First Philosophy or metaphysics, where methodic doubt is used to discern the nature of being and the world. Here he describes how we can derive a reliable method that can definitively determine what is
Descartes Sixth Meditation Analysis
1919 Words | 8 PagesConclusion: The mind is substantively different from the body and indeed matter in general. Because in this conception the mind is substantively distinct from the body it becomes plausible for us to doubt the intuitive connection between mind and body. Indeed there are many aspects of the external world that do not appear to have minds and yet appear none the less real in spite of this for example mountains, sticks or lamps, given this we can begin to rationalize that perhaps minds can exist without bodies, and we only lack the capacity to perceive them.
Essay On Dualism And Monism
1457 Words | 6 PagesWhat is the Mind? Introduction To try and explore the ‘mind’ it is necessary to examine if the mind and the brain are separate or if the mind and body are distinct from one another? Is the mind and body separate substance or elements of the same substance? Is consciousness the result of the mechanisms of the brain, wholly separate from the brain or inextricably linked?
Cogito In The Second Meditation By Rene Descartes
1275 Words | 6 PagesIn the second meditation, Descartes uses this cogito of consciousness and existence to assume that the mind is distant from a body. “I am, I exist”. This essay I will clearly discuss an outline of Descartes cogito in the second meditation and how it deals with the subject of existence and also Descartes’s strongest and weakest arguments in this case. “The Meditation of yesterday filled my mind with so many doubts that it is no longer in my power to
Flanagan Evolutionary Theory
2097 Words | 9 PagesAs well as Freud’s view on what a dreams function could be. Lastly I will discuss how dreams sooth the soul before death. Flanagan’s reason for believing that consciousness is an adaptation stems from various questions in his book he starts my saying “what functions does consciousness serve” (Flanagan,
The Nature Of Consciousness In Leibniz's Argument
1463 Words | 6 PagesNowhere, he asserts, would such an observer see any conscious thoughts. Others believe that all aspects of consciousness could ultimately be routed to the physical structure of the brain, consciousness can be said to arise out of a combination of related ideas. However,
Seven Rays Theory: Basic Powers Of Consciousness
1499 Words | 6 PagesThe three basic powers of consciousness, as we see, are: power (will), love and thought. We all have these forms of energy in different proportions. When they are manifested in a human being, these forms of energy are also altered by the orientation of our personal consciousness (inwards or outwards). People with inward-oriented consciousness are introverted: they tend to be concerned with what happens
Persuasive Essay On Simulated Reality
1485 Words | 6 Pages“I think therefore I am” is not a reference to self-awareness, and certainly not artificial intelligence, but the simple fact of existence: I can’t be having the thought I’m having now if I don’t exist somewhere, in some form. Descartes had a pre-digital understanding of a simulation, arguing that he could well be a “brain in a vat” being fed false experiences. But the basic form of the problem is the same as our computer interpretation, though less specific and
Descartes Mind Body Dualism Summary
1104 Words | 5 PagesIn his philosophical thesis, of the ‘Mind-Body dualism’ Rene Descartes argues that the mind and the body are really distinct, one of the most deepest and long lasting legacies. Perhaps the strongest argument that Descartes gives for his claim is that the non extended thinking thing like the Mind cannot exist without the extended non thinking thing like the Body. Since they both are substances, and are completely different from each other. This paper will present his thesis in detail and also how his claim is critiqued by two of his successors concluding with a personal stand.
Theories Of Consciousness
309 Words | 2 PagesWhat is consciousness ? Consciousness is the state of being awake and aware of one’s surrounding, the awareness or perception of something by a person. The definitions of consciousness ảre very broad and sometimes hard to explain. Many theories have tried to explain consciousness. W.E.B. Du BOIS and Dorothy Smith are the two theorists who provide early conceptualizations of consciousness.
The Basic Ideas Of Such Thinking You Change Your Environment
518 Words | 3 PagesOur consciousness is what we live within. We experience our world, our life, within our consciousness. I am not merely pointing out the obvious — that our experience is mental and therefore contained within our consciousness. I am describing the nature of consciousness: it is infinite and encompasses all. Everything lives, moves and has its being
Phenomenal Consciousness
706 Words | 3 PagesThe concept of consciousness is highly debatable and its definition can be considered
Concept Of Consciousness
1919 Words | 8 PagesJournal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods 9 (20):533-544 ). We also define consciousness as an aspect of reality that manifests itself. To understand what exactly is consciousness we need to make first person and third person perspective. First person to make us know about what is getting into ones brain from surrounding through his senses and what thought process is involved to take up a decision by the mind. Third person to gather empirical data for describing the output of this thought process through his body to the surroundings.
More about Interpreting Consciousness
Ap Psychology Chapter 1 Study Guide
1476 Words | 6 Pages9/11 Themes
1235 Words | 5 PagesCartesian Ontological Argument
1294 Words | 6 PagesDescartes Sixth Meditation Analysis
1919 Words | 8 PagesEssay On Dualism And Monism
1457 Words | 6 PagesCogito In The Second Meditation By Rene Descartes
1275 Words | 6 PagesFlanagan Evolutionary Theory
2097 Words | 9 PagesThe Nature Of Consciousness In Leibniz's Argument
1463 Words | 6 PagesSeven Rays Theory: Basic Powers Of Consciousness
1499 Words | 6 PagesPersuasive Essay On Simulated Reality
1485 Words | 6 PagesDescartes Mind Body Dualism Summary
1104 Words | 5 PagesTheories Of Consciousness
309 Words | 2 PagesThe Basic Ideas Of Such Thinking You Change Your Environment
518 Words | 3 PagesPhenomenal Consciousness
706 Words | 3 PagesConcept Of Consciousness
1919 Words | 8 Pages