{"id":69,"date":"2022-08-15T21:14:29","date_gmt":"2022-08-15T21:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/?p=69"},"modified":"2022-08-16T22:25:01","modified_gmt":"2022-08-16T22:25:01","slug":"defining-consciousness-philosophy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/","title":{"rendered":"Defining Consciousness in Philosophy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__avatar\"><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__byline\">by Michael Santos<\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">michael.santos<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>There are a multitude of definitions for \u201cconsciousness,\u201d most of them lacking. In this article, we discuss the philosophical definitions, as these are the most precise and will allow for the most complex understanding of the topic. As we go along, I\u2019ll point out the key differences between these philosophical definitions and other common usages of \u201cconsciousness\u201d that you may encounter.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The two definitions we\u2019ll work with are of <strong>phenomenal consciousness <\/strong>and <strong>meta-consciousness<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is phenomenal consciousness?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Thomas Nagel gave us his famous \u201cwhat it is like\u201d definition of phenomenal consciousness in 1974. As he states in the article, \u201cWhat is it like to be a bat?\u201d, a thing is conscious if there is \u201csomething that it is like\u201d to be that thing. A bat, for instance, has its own perspective on the world, and has experiences that cause it to behave with agency (Nagel, 1974).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In other words, if something has raw subjective experience, it is phenomenally conscious. And a state that is phenomenally conscious is <em>experiential<\/em> in nature. This includes all the <strong>qualities<\/strong> of experience, whether they be <strong>perceptual qualities<\/strong>, such as color, scent, flavors, pitch, etc., or <strong>endogenous qualities<\/strong>, such as love, fear, excitement, etc. (Block, 1995).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This definition is typically broad enough for philosophers to apply it to all living things, down to paramecia, which behave as if there is something it is like to be them. In other words, any system that displays causal power over its environment, or <strong>agency<\/strong> (which at this point in our knowledge is limited to organisms), is phenomenally conscious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Consider the metaphor of waves in the ocean. The waves will be our metaphor for experiences, including thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. Waves are not essential to the ocean, which will be our metaphor for phenomenal consciousness. Waves are patterns of excitation of the ocean. In other words, they are how the ocean behaves. Each wave is dynamic, unique, and can be measured in numerous ways, which make it appear distinct from the ocean. However, if you were to have no waves at all, there would still be the ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Thought exercise &#8211; phenomenal consciousness in real life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Try this&#8230;ask yourself what is essentially you. Are your perceptions essential to yourself? They can\u2019t be, because they are fleeting and constantly changing. Are your thoughts essential to yourself? Also no, and for the same reason. How about your emotions? Again, the answer is no. Now, imagine removing all of those experiences, your perceptions, your thoughts, and your emotions. What remains? Raw subjectivity, or what it is like to be you (Spira, 2017).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In other words, what remains is <em>that whose excitation is the experiences of perceptions, thoughts, and emotions<\/em>. Or, put another way, it is that whose behavior is the experiences of perceptions, thoughts, and emotions, just the way that waves are the behavior of the ocean. Each experience, like each wave, is dynamic and can be measured, giving it the appearance of being an independent \u201cthing\u201d from the medium in which it occurs. But it is really the same \u201cthing\u201d as the medium, and it is the medium itself that this exercise seeks to identify.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Note that this medium of experience precedes the subject-object relationship that connects you, the subject, to the objects of your experience. It is within this medium, phenomenal consciousness (what it is like to be you), that those subject-object relationships occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is meta-consciousness?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But what about more complex cognitive abilities that go beyond raw subjective experience? After all, a paramecium\u2019s cognition seems quite a bit simpler than a dog\u2019s, which is in turn simpler than a human\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This is where meta-consciousness comes in. You can have an experience without knowing that you are having it. In these cases, our attention is directed elsewhere and, in that moment, we are unable to report on the experience that we are having. But this does not mean that we are not having it. Thus, meta-consciousness is our ability to know that we are having an experience, or to be aware of our consciousness (Schooler, 2002; Chin &amp; Schooler, 2009; Schooler et al, 2011; Winkielman &amp; Schooler, 2009, 2011).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Meta-conscious experiences are a subset of phenomenal experiences. That is, both are experiences that occur in phenomenal consciousness, but when we are meta-conscious of an experience, we direct our attention to a small subset of the total phenomenal experiences that we have at any given time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Think of a theatre stage, on which is a set that includes a tree at stage-right, a castle center-stage, and a dragon at stage-left. The stage is dark until a spotlight shines on the tree at stage-right. Just because only the tree is illuminated does not mean that the stage does not still have the castle and the dragon. It is just that the light is focused on a subset of the set pieces. All of the pieces are on the stage and do not disappear when the light moves away from them. If the spotlight shifts to illuminate the dragon, the tree is still there, even though attention has moved to another subset of the total set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Examples of meta-consciousness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Empirical examples that you are familiar with in your own life include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>You listen to a podcast about AI\/ML on a road trip. Upon arriving at your destination, you realize you don\u2019t remember anything that happened on the drive. You had focused your attention on the experiences of hearing the podcast and of your thoughts about that podcast, thus dissociating from your experiences of driving. This does not mean that you did not have experiences of driving \u2013 clearly you did, or you could not have arrived safely. But you were not meta-conscious of the driving experiences, because your attention\u2019s spotlight was focused on another subset of your phenomenal experiences.<\/li><li>You don\u2019t normally notice that you are breathing unless someone else (me, in this case) calls your attention to it. You are always experiencing your breathing, but you are not always meta-conscious of that experience.<\/li><li>More complicated are recent arguments that we are never truly unconscious. Rather, recent data suggests that during periods of \u201cunconsciousness,\u201d we are not meta-conscious enough to form <em>memories<\/em> of certain conscious experiences that we have while asleep, under anesthesia, or undergoing an impairment of brain activity. I\u2019ll get into these examples in depth later, but for now, consider that we don\u2019t always remember the dreams we have at night. Empirical evidence shows we are indeed dreaming in such cases, but that we are not always meta-conscious of those dreams. You can only form a memory of an experience, which involves reporting the experience to yourself, if you are meta-conscious of that experience.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The conceptual divide &#8211; philosophy and neuroscience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is meta-consciousness to which clinicians and neuroscientists usually refer when they say, \u201cconsciousness.\u201d In that setting, there is often no distinction between meta- and phenomenal consciousness. That is because the limits of medical technology have traditionally caused a dependency on a patient\u2019s ability to report their experiences in order for clinicians to know that the patient is having them. As mentioned above, you can only report a conscious experience if you are meta-conscious of that experience. Thus, there has been significant practical reason for the clinical setting to overlook the sub-division into phenomenal and meta-consciousness, in contrast to the ways philosophers and psychologists define the terms in academic settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No Report Paradigms and meta-consciousness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There is, today, an attempt to circumvent these limitations in a clinical setting with <strong>No Report Paradigms<\/strong>, which rely on eye-movement, neuro-imaging, and physiological measures as indicators of consciousness to eliminate the dependence on the patient\u2019s responsiveness (Duman, Ehmann,&nbsp; Gonsalves, G\u00fcltekin, Van den Berckt, van Leeuwen, 2022). For now, the clinical use of \u201cconsciousness\u201d remains unchanged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In the meantime, there results a frustrating conceptual confusion when philosophers, psychologists, and other medical scientists cross paths in discussions about consciousness. That is why, whenever I discuss consciousness, I choose the more academic definitions that offer greater precision of meaning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; To recap, you are always having phenomenal experiences, which are the excitation of the medium of raw subjectivity, phenomenal consciousness, such that there is something that it is like to be you. Further, in your normal waking state, you are always meta-conscious of a subset of those phenomenal experiences, such that you could report on that subset to yourself and\/or to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Bibliography<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Nagel, T. (1974). \u201cWhat is it like to be a bat?\u201d <em>Philosophical Review<\/em>, 83: 435\u2013456.<\/li><li>Block, N. (1995). On a confusion about the function of consciousness. <em>Behavioral and Brain Sciences<\/em>, 18: 227-287.<\/li><li>Spira, R. (2017). <em>The Nature of Consciousness: Essays on the Unity of Mind and Matter<\/em>. Sahaja.<\/li><li>Schooler, J. (2002). Re-representing consciousness: dissociations between experience and meta-consciousness. <em>Trends Cogn. Sci<\/em>. 6., 339\u2013344.<\/li><li>Chin, J. &amp; Schooler, J. (2010). Meta-Awareness. <em>Encyclopedia of Consciousness<\/em>. 33-41. 10.1016\/B978-012373873-8.00051-7.<\/li><li>Winkielman, P., &amp; Schooler, J. W. (2009). Unconscious, conscious, and metaconscious in social cognition. In F. Strack &amp; J. F\u00f6rster (Eds.), <em>Social cognition: The basis of human interaction<\/em> (pp. 49\u201369). Psychology Press.<\/li><li>Winkielman, P. &amp; Schooler, J. (2011). Splitting consciousness: Unconscious, conscious, and metaconscious processes in social cognition.<em> European Review of Social Psychology<\/em>. 22. 1-35. 10.1080\/10463283.2011.576580.<\/li><li>Duman, I.; Ehmann, I. S.; Gonsalves, A. R.; G\u00fcltekin, Z.; Van den Berckt, J.; van Leeuwen, C. (2022). The No-Report Paradigm: A Revolution in Consciousness Research? <em>Frontiers in Human Neuroscience<\/em>. 10.3389\/fnhum.2022.861517.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are a multitude of definitions for \u201cconsciousness,\u201d most of them lacking. In this article, we discuss the philosophical definitions, as these are the most precise and will allow for the most complex understanding of the topic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":70,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[21,25,23,22,26,20,24],"class_list":["post-69","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-philosophy","tag-consciousness","tag-dualism","tag-idealism","tag-metaphysics","tag-panpsychism","tag-philosophy-of-mind","tag-physicalism"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Defining Consciousness in Philosophy - BCP Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this essay, we define consciousness in philosophy of mind and metaphysics, including phenomenal and meta-consciousness.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Defining Consciousness in Philosophy - BCP Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In this essay, we define consciousness in philosophy of mind and metaphysics, including phenomenal and meta-consciousness.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"BCP Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-08-15T21:14:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-08-16T22:25:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-photo-724994.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1810\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"michael.santos\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"michael.santos\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"michael.santos\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b4a5b1964c2a94e7525a15b36831765c\"},\"headline\":\"Defining Consciousness in Philosophy\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-08-15T21:14:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-16T22:25:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1686,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/pexels-photo-724994.jpeg?fit=1810%2C1300&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"consciousness\",\"dualism\",\"idealism\",\"metaphysics\",\"panpsychism\",\"philosophy of mind\",\"physicalism\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Philosophy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\\\/\",\"name\":\"Defining Consciousness in Philosophy - BCP Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/pexels-photo-724994.jpeg?fit=1810%2C1300&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-08-15T21:14:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-16T22:25:01+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b4a5b1964c2a94e7525a15b36831765c\"},\"description\":\"In this essay, we define consciousness in philosophy of mind and metaphysics, including phenomenal and meta-consciousness.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/pexels-photo-724994.jpeg?fit=1810%2C1300&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/08\\\/pexels-photo-724994.jpeg?fit=1810%2C1300&ssl=1\",\"width\":1810,\"height\":1300,\"caption\":\"Photo by meo on Pexels.com\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Defining Consciousness in Philosophy\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/\",\"name\":\"BCP Journal\",\"description\":\"Articles and essays on philosophy, science, and reality theory.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b4a5b1964c2a94e7525a15b36831765c\",\"name\":\"michael.santos\",\"description\":\"Michael Santos is a thriller author, amateur philosopher, member of the American Philosophical Association (APA), and is a technology industry writer. Explore his thriller novels at: https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/michaelsantosauthor.com\\\/bcpjournal\\\/author\\\/michael-santos\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Defining Consciousness in Philosophy - BCP Journal","description":"In this essay, we define consciousness in philosophy of mind and metaphysics, including phenomenal and meta-consciousness.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Defining Consciousness in Philosophy - BCP Journal","og_description":"In this essay, we define consciousness in philosophy of mind and metaphysics, including phenomenal and meta-consciousness.","og_url":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/","og_site_name":"BCP Journal","article_published_time":"2022-08-15T21:14:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-08-16T22:25:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1810,"height":1300,"url":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-photo-724994.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"michael.santos","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"michael.santos","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/"},"author":{"name":"michael.santos","@id":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/b4a5b1964c2a94e7525a15b36831765c"},"headline":"Defining Consciousness in Philosophy","datePublished":"2022-08-15T21:14:29+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-16T22:25:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/"},"wordCount":1686,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-photo-724994.jpeg?fit=1810%2C1300&ssl=1","keywords":["consciousness","dualism","idealism","metaphysics","panpsychism","philosophy of mind","physicalism"],"articleSection":["Philosophy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/","url":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/","name":"Defining Consciousness in Philosophy - BCP Journal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-photo-724994.jpeg?fit=1810%2C1300&ssl=1","datePublished":"2022-08-15T21:14:29+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-16T22:25:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/b4a5b1964c2a94e7525a15b36831765c"},"description":"In this essay, we define consciousness in philosophy of mind and metaphysics, including phenomenal and meta-consciousness.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-photo-724994.jpeg?fit=1810%2C1300&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-photo-724994.jpeg?fit=1810%2C1300&ssl=1","width":1810,"height":1300,"caption":"Photo by meo on Pexels.com"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/defining-consciousness-philosophy\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Defining Consciousness in Philosophy"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/#website","url":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/","name":"BCP Journal","description":"Articles and essays on philosophy, science, and reality theory.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/b4a5b1964c2a94e7525a15b36831765c","name":"michael.santos","description":"Michael Santos is a thriller author, amateur philosopher, member of the American Philosophical Association (APA), and is a technology industry writer. Explore his thriller novels at: https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/","sameAs":["http:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com"],"url":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/author\/michael-santos\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-photo-724994.jpeg?fit=1810%2C1300&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":130,"url":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/evolutionary-problem-phenomenal-consciousness\/","url_meta":{"origin":69,"position":0},"title":"Computer Science and the Evolutionary Problem of Phenomenal Consciousness","author":"michael.santos","date":"January 24, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Evolution, the brain, and consciousness According to the theory of evolution by natural selection, one of the most validated and empirically supported theories in science, our bodies, including all of their component cells and organs, arose according to corresponding increases in survival fitness payoffs.\u00a0 A central claim of today\u2019s mainstream\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Philosophy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Philosophy","link":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/category\/philosophy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"computer c code","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/pexels-photo-276452.jpeg?fit=1200%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/pexels-photo-276452.jpeg?fit=1200%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/pexels-photo-276452.jpeg?fit=1200%2C640&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/pexels-photo-276452.jpeg?fit=1200%2C640&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/pexels-photo-276452.jpeg?fit=1200%2C640&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":139,"url":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/epistemic-challenges-meta-problem-consciousness\/","url_meta":{"origin":69,"position":1},"title":"The epistemic challenges of the meta-problem of consciousness","author":"michael.santos","date":"February 13, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In this article, I'll argue that we think consciousness is special precisely because it is special. More specifically, I will make a case that a series of epistemological challenges is at the root of the hard problem of consciousness, and that these challenges are what render the hard problem insoluble.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Philosophy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Philosophy","link":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/category\/philosophy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"people walking down the stairs","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/pexels-photo-3685201.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/pexels-photo-3685201.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/pexels-photo-3685201.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/pexels-photo-3685201.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/pexels-photo-3685201.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":87,"url":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/the-hard-problem-of-consciousness-as-a-blocker-for-ai-ml\/","url_meta":{"origin":69,"position":2},"title":"The Hard Problem of Consciousness as a Blocker for AI\/ML","author":"michael.santos","date":"August 18, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Just as it has blocked our progress toward understanding how the human brain could produce consciousness, the hard problem stands in the way of artificial consciousness in silicon systems.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Philosophy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Philosophy","link":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/category\/philosophy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"person reaching out to a robot","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-photo-8386434.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-photo-8386434.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-photo-8386434.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-photo-8386434.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-photo-8386434.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":308,"url":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/a-trinitarian-framework-for-core-subjectivity-awareness-phenomenality-and-intentionality-in-consciousness\/","url_meta":{"origin":69,"position":3},"title":"A Trinitarian Framework for Core Subjectivity: Awareness, Phenomenality, and Intentionality in Consciousness","author":"michael.santos","date":"January 10, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"This paper delves into the notion of core subjectivity, the fundamental base of mind that one experiences in the pure consciousness state, and examines its interconnected modes\u2014awareness, phenomenality, and intentionality. Leveraging strong phenomenal intentionality theory\u2019s claim that all intentional states are (or arise from) phenomenal states, we propose that the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Philosophy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Philosophy","link":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/category\/philosophy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"pexels-photo-1500610.jpeg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pexels-photo-1500610.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pexels-photo-1500610.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pexels-photo-1500610.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pexels-photo-1500610.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pexels-photo-1500610.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":220,"url":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/what-the-hard-problem-of-consciousness-misses-reality-theory\/","url_meta":{"origin":69,"position":4},"title":"The Consciousness-Reality Integration Theory (CRIT)","author":"michael.santos","date":"August 14, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Current studies of consciousness present a profound challenge known as the \u201chard problem of consciousness.\u201d This elusive issue pertains to the nature of subjective experience and the relationship between consciousness and the physical world. Western philosophy and science have traditionally approached this problem by assuming a physicalist worldview, treating consciousness\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Philosophy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Philosophy","link":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/category\/philosophy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"worms eye view of spiral stained glass decors through the roof","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/stained-glass-spiral-circle-pattern-161154.jpeg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/stained-glass-spiral-circle-pattern-161154.jpeg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/stained-glass-spiral-circle-pattern-161154.jpeg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/stained-glass-spiral-circle-pattern-161154.jpeg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/stained-glass-spiral-circle-pattern-161154.jpeg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":190,"url":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/relevance-realization-artificial-general-intelligence\/","url_meta":{"origin":69,"position":5},"title":"The problem of relevance realization for artificial general intelligence","author":"michael.santos","date":"April 20, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"This essay argues that relevance realization is a critical problem that needs to be solved in order to achieve AGI. Relevance realization is an essential component of human cognition, and developing machines that can perform this function is essential for the development of true artificial intelligence. Given the evolutionary and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Philosophy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Philosophy","link":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/category\/philosophy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"a person playing chess","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/pexels-photo-8438944.jpeg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/pexels-photo-8438944.jpeg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/pexels-photo-8438944.jpeg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/pexels-photo-8438944.jpeg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/pexels-photo-8438944.jpeg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80,"href":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions\/80"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michaelsantosauthor.com\/bcpjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}