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Explanatory profiles of models of consciousness - towards a systematic classification
Models of consciousness aim to inspire new experimental protocols and aid interpretation of empirical evidence to reveal the structure of conscious experience. Nevertheless, no current model is univocally accepted on either theoretical or empirical grounds. Moreover, a straightforward comparison is...
Autores principales: | , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Oxford University Press
2021
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8396118/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34457353 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nc/niab021 |
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author | Signorelli, Camilo Miguel Szczotka, Joanna Prentner, Robert |
author_facet | Signorelli, Camilo Miguel Szczotka, Joanna Prentner, Robert |
author_sort | Signorelli, Camilo Miguel |
collection | PubMed |
description | Models of consciousness aim to inspire new experimental protocols and aid interpretation of empirical evidence to reveal the structure of conscious experience. Nevertheless, no current model is univocally accepted on either theoretical or empirical grounds. Moreover, a straightforward comparison is difficult for conceptual reasons. In particular, we argue that different models explicitly or implicitly subscribe to different notions of what constitutes a satisfactory explanation, use different tools in their explanatory endeavours and even aim to explain very different phenomena. We thus present a framework to compare existing models in the field with respect to what we call their ‘explanatory profiles’. We focus on the following minimal dimensions: mode of explanation, mechanisms of explanation and target of explanation. We also discuss the empirical consequences of the discussed discrepancies among models. This approach may eventually lead to identifying driving assumptions, theoretical commitments, experimental predictions and a better design of future testing experiments. Finally, our conclusion points to more integrative theoretical research, where axiomatic models may play a critical role in solving current theoretical and experimental contradictions. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-8396118 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2021 |
publisher | Oxford University Press |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-83961182021-08-27 Explanatory profiles of models of consciousness - towards a systematic classification Signorelli, Camilo Miguel Szczotka, Joanna Prentner, Robert Neurosci Conscious Review Article Models of consciousness aim to inspire new experimental protocols and aid interpretation of empirical evidence to reveal the structure of conscious experience. Nevertheless, no current model is univocally accepted on either theoretical or empirical grounds. Moreover, a straightforward comparison is difficult for conceptual reasons. In particular, we argue that different models explicitly or implicitly subscribe to different notions of what constitutes a satisfactory explanation, use different tools in their explanatory endeavours and even aim to explain very different phenomena. We thus present a framework to compare existing models in the field with respect to what we call their ‘explanatory profiles’. We focus on the following minimal dimensions: mode of explanation, mechanisms of explanation and target of explanation. We also discuss the empirical consequences of the discussed discrepancies among models. This approach may eventually lead to identifying driving assumptions, theoretical commitments, experimental predictions and a better design of future testing experiments. Finally, our conclusion points to more integrative theoretical research, where axiomatic models may play a critical role in solving current theoretical and experimental contradictions. Oxford University Press 2021-08-30 /pmc/articles/PMC8396118/ /pubmed/34457353 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nc/niab021 Text en © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) ), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oup.com |
spellingShingle | Review Article Signorelli, Camilo Miguel Szczotka, Joanna Prentner, Robert Explanatory profiles of models of consciousness - towards a systematic classification |
title | Explanatory profiles of models of consciousness - towards a systematic classification |
title_full | Explanatory profiles of models of consciousness - towards a systematic classification |
title_fullStr | Explanatory profiles of models of consciousness - towards a systematic classification |
title_full_unstemmed | Explanatory profiles of models of consciousness - towards a systematic classification |
title_short | Explanatory profiles of models of consciousness - towards a systematic classification |
title_sort | explanatory profiles of models of consciousness - towards a systematic classification |
topic | Review Article |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8396118/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34457353 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nc/niab021 |
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