Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-nr4z6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-19T22:30:21.700Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Phenomenal consciousness lite: No thanks!

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2008

J. Kevin O'Regan
Affiliation:
Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, CNRS – Université Paris Descartes, Centre Biomédical des Saints Pères, 75270 Paris cedex 06, France
Erik Myin
Affiliation:
Centre for Philosophical Psychology, Department of Philosophy, Universiteit Antwerpen, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium. jkevin.oregan@gmail.comhttp://nivea.psycho.univ-paris5.frErik.Myin@ua.ac.behttp://www.ua.ac.be/erik.myin

Abstract

The target article appeals to recent empirical data to support the idea that there is more to phenomenality than is available to access consciousness. However, this claim is based on an unwarranted assumption, namely, that some kind of cortical processing must be phenomenal. The article also considerably weakens Block's original distinction between a truly nonfunctional phenomenal consciousness and a functional access consciousness. The new form of phenomenal consciousness seems to be a poor-man's cognitive access.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Block, N. (1995b) On a confusion about a function of consciousness. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 18(2):227–47.Google Scholar
Landman, R., Spekreijse, H. & Lamme, V. A. F. (2003) Large capacity storage of integrated objects before change blindness. Vision Research 43(2):149–64.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sligte, I. G., Scholte, H. S. & Lamme, V. A. F. (2008) Are there multiple visual short-term memory stores? Plos One 3(2):19.Google Scholar
Sperling, G. (1960) The information available in brief visual presentations. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied 74(11, Whole No. 498):129. [Whole issue.]Google Scholar