Philosophy Dictionary of ArgumentsHome
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| Self-consciousness, philosophy: self-consciousness is a form of consciousness that allows a localization of the thinking subject in the logical space. The prerequisite for self-consciousness is consciousness of external and internal processes as well as the ability to differentiate between these two sources of influences. See also identification, self-identification, self, I, consciousness, individuation, identity, person._____________Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments. | |||
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Ned Block on Self- Consciousness - Dictionary of Arguments
II 547 Self-Consciousness/Animal/Block: possession of the concept of self. Some animals recognize themselves in the mirror. E.g. Animal experiment: Chimpanzees are anesthetized and then paint is applied in spots on the nose and ears. 7- to 15-year-old chimpanzees, after looking in the mirror, try to wipe off the spots. Explanation/Block: E.g. there is an explanation of this animal experiment, which consists in denying the self-consciousness to the chimpanzees. Instead, they should recognize a fellow in the mirror and conclude that they themselves might have similar spots. Block: This is not a refutation of the actual explanation, but unintentionally presumes a much stronger consciousness in the chimpanzees as well as the ability to conclude! Also self-consciousness: to think about whether I have a spot on my forehead, I need to be able think about myself. II 557 Animal experiment: e.g. on a screen, a chimpanzee controls the movements of his arm in a hole he can not see into. (Is considered as "cultural achievement" by some.) BlockVsDnett: self-consciousness yes, but why cultural? E.g. That I need a "director's self-consciousness" to see me as a director is simply trivial and does not really require any culture. Otherwise I'd need a separate self-consciousness for me as someone who has the keys in his pocket. Ad infinitum. Infinitely many characterizations do not require their own special self-consciousness._____________Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition. |
Block I N. Block Consciousness, Function, and Representation: Collected Papers, Volume 1 (Bradford Books) Cambridge 2007 Block II Ned Block "On a confusion about a function of consciousness" In Bewusstein, Thomas Metzinger, Paderborn/München/Wien/Zürich 1996 |
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> Counter arguments against Block
> Counter arguments in relation to Self- Consciousness
Ed. Martin Schulz, access date 2024-04-28