The Concepts of Consciousness

This edited volume is an exercise in integrating an emerging science of consciousness. The main concepts in question include realism, representation, intentionality, information, control, memory and self. These topics are approached from different perspectives so one has to ask if the uses of these concepts differ, if meanings need to be synchronised, if a unifying conceptual scheme is necessary for the establishment of an independent science of consciousness, and indeed if a unified conceptual scheme is possible. A central concept is that of the stability of consciousness, about which scholars have both explicit and implicit assumptions that will inevitably constrain their views about consciousness and its relationship to science. A difference of emphasis emerges between a focus on states as opposed to dynamics of consciousness, each of which can be unpacked into both epistemological and ontological assumptions. However, the ontology and epistemology remain broadly within a naturalistic framework, which is the constraint of much work in this field. The volume is largely aimed at specialists.