The prevailing folk-psychology of modern Western humans holds that
(1) an individual person or s... more The prevailing folk-psychology of modern Western humans holds that
(1) an individual person or self can be identified with that individual’s consciousness and thus that (2) consciousness can cause behaviour. In this paper I assemble a body of experimental and philosophical evidence suggesting that both of these beliefs might be mistaken. I discuss some of the practical and philosophical implications of the idea that consciousness does not in fact cause behaviour and conclude that it is not only a serious academic possibility but also an (almost) intuitively acceptable idea that consciousness may be epiphenomenal.
1. Long-term potentiation (LTP) is an enduring, activity-induced increase in the efficacy of syna... more 1. Long-term potentiation (LTP) is an enduring, activity-induced increase in the efficacy of synaptic transmission, which has been considered as a possible neural substrate for learning. Recent experiments have shown that LTP can be induced in hippocampal CA1 neurons when a presynaptic volley is paired repetitively with depolarization of the postsynaptic cell, brought about with intracellularly applied depolarizing current pulses (20, 33). We have repeated these experiments in neocortical neurons, in transverse slices of rat sensorimotor cortex in vitro. 2. Stable intracellular recordings were obtained from 28 neurons (mean resting potential -78 mV, mean spike amplitude 95 mV, mean input resistance 41 M omega) mostly in layers V and VI. Two different afferent pathways were stimulated alternately at 0.2 Hz to evoke subthreshold composite excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs). One micromolar bicuculline methiodide was added to the bathing medium in most experiments. 3. Repetitive...
The membrane permeable cyclic AMP analogue dibutyryl cAMP was found to have a biphasic effect on ... more The membrane permeable cyclic AMP analogue dibutyryl cAMP was found to have a biphasic effect on the amplitude of population spikes recorded in area CA1 of rat hippocampal slices in response to 0.05 Hz stimulation of the Schaffer collateral/commissural path. While dbcAMP was present the population spike was depressed and after washout of dbcAMP the population spike showed potentiation lasting at least 2 h. The population excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) was unaffected. Addition of picrotoxin throughout the experiment caused no change in the depression but reduced the potentiation caused by dbcAMP. We conclude that cAMP may play a role in long-term potentiation (LTP).
... Data were digi-tised and analysed using a peak picking program written in ASYST and VP Planne... more ... Data were digi-tised and analysed using a peak picking program written in ASYST and VP Planner to calculate population spike amplitude ... 4 Davies, SN, Lester, RAJ, Reymann, KG and Coltingridge, GL, Temporally distinct pre, and post-synaptic mechanisms maintain long-term ...
AlmUaet-Bath application of dibutyryl cyclic AMP, 8-bromo cyclic AMP or forskolin to hippocampal ... more AlmUaet-Bath application of dibutyryl cyclic AMP, 8-bromo cyclic AMP or forskolin to hippocampal slices caused a short-lasting decrease, followed after washout by a long-lasting increase in the amplitude of population spikes recorded in area CAI in response to 0.05 Hz stimulation of the Schaffer collateral/commissural pathway. Population spike depression lasted only as long as the cyclic AMP analogues were present in the bath, while the potentiation lasted for at least 2 h after they were washed out. Population excitatory postsynaptic potential amplitude was depressed while dibutyryl cyclic AMP was present in the bath, but after washout it was not significantly different from baseline amplitude. The population spike depression caused by dibutyryl cyclic AMP was prevented by the adenosine antagonist 8-p-sulfophenyltheophylline, but the long-lasting potentiation was not. Thus the transient depression induced by dibutyryl cyclic AMP was probably caused by an action of the drug or its breakdown products as adenosine agonists. The long-lasting potentiation is caused by a different mechanism. Occlusion experiments were performed to examine the relationship of the long-lasting population spike potentiation caused by dibutyryl cyclic AMP to the population spike long-term potentiation caused by high-frequency stimulation. High-frequency stimulation delivered after the population spike potentiation caused by dibutyryl cyclic AMP was established did cause a further potentiation, but only up to the level caused by high-frequency stimulation alone. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP administered after high frequency stimulation-induced long-term potentiation was established had no further potentiating effect. It was possible to increase population spike amplitude above the high-frequency stimulation-induced plateau level during post-tetanic potentiation. These results support the hypothesis that activity-induced increases in intracellular cyclic AMP are the cause of part, but not all, of high-frequency stimulation-induced long-term potentiation of the population spike.
The topological positions of nerve terminal sprouts in partially denervated rat sternocostal musc... more The topological positions of nerve terminal sprouts in partially denervated rat sternocostal muscles were analysed. Sprouted nerve terminals were found only within 200 pm of a denervated muscle fibre. but were not necessarily within 200pm of a denervated endplate. From this it was concluded that the sprout-inducing factor released from denervated muscle fibres does not necessarily arise from the denervated endplate, but may be released along the length of the muscle fibre. It is proposed that sprout factor is released during the incorporation of acetylcholine receptors into the muscle fibre membrane.
Prior studies of multichannel ECoG from animals showed that beta and gamma oscillations carried p... more Prior studies of multichannel ECoG from animals showed that beta and gamma oscillations carried perceptual information in both local and global spatial patterns of amplitude modulation, when the subjects were trained to discriminate conditioned stimuli (CS). Here the hypothesis was tested that similar patterns could be found in the scalp EEG human subjects trained to discriminate simultaneous visual-auditory CS. Signals were continuously recorded from 64 equispaced scalp electrodes and band-pass filtered. The Hilbert transform gave the analytic phase, which segmented the EEG into temporal frames, and the analytic amplitude, which expressed the pattern in each frame as a feature vector. Methods applied to the ECoG were adapted to the EEG for systematic search of the beta-gamma spectrum, the time period after CS onset, and the scalp surface to locate patterns that could be classified with respect to type of CS. Spatial patterns of EEG amplitude modulation were found from all subjects that could be classified with respect to stimulus combination type significantly above chance levels. The patterns were found in the beta range (15-22 Hz) but not in the gamma range. They occurred in three short bursts following CS onset. They were non-local, occupying the entire array. Our results suggest that the scalp EEG can yield information about the timing of episodically synchronized brain activity in higher cognitive function, so that future studies in brain-computer interfacing can be better focused. Our methods may be most valuable for analyzing data from dense arrays with very high spatial and temporal sampling rates.
ol'.4wkland. Privaie Bag .4uckland. New, Zeal and Recei ved .411,qa1 IO. 1982: revi.cion received... more ol'.4wkland. Privaie Bag .4uckland. New, Zeal and Recei ved .411,qa1 IO. 1982: revi.cion received Ocfoher II. I982 The question of whether or not postnatal growth in the length of end-plate acetylcholinesterase plaques in rat soleus muscle is controlled by the nerve or by the muscle was studied. When muscles with intact innervation were tenotomized in young rats, the muscles failed to grow in length and diameter and the end-plate esterase plaques remained short when the animals attained adulthood. When muscles in young rats were denervated the fibers also failed to grow in diameter and end-plate esterase plaques failed to attain the length of control plaques in normal innervated muscle. We conclude that growth of postnatal muscle fiber is an important determinant of end plate and motor terminal growth.
Experiments were performed to test the hypothesis that motoneurons are programmed to produce fixe... more Experiments were performed to test the hypothesis that motoneurons are programmed to produce fixed amounts of growth and transmitter release substrates and are unable to regulate production to match the number of nerve terminals they support. The size of the average motor unit in mouse tensor fascia latae muscles was approximately halved by cutting out the distal half of the muscle. Surviving terminals were assessed 100-110 days later for level of quantal output and percentage of terminals with sprouts. Both quantal output and sprout percentage were the same as in contralateral control muscles. Both parameters have been reported to be elevated 1-9 days after a similar operation. We conclude that mouse motoneurons can down-regulate their production of growth and release substrates but that the process takes more than 9 days to become effective.
The electromagnetic field theory of consciousness proposes that conscious experiences are identic... more The electromagnetic field theory of consciousness proposes that conscious experiences are identical with certain electromagnetic patterns generated by the brain. While the theory has always acknowledged that not all of the electromagnetic patterns generated by brain activity are conscious, until now it has not been able to specify what might distinguish conscious patterns from non-conscious patterns. Here a hypothesis is proposed about the 3-D shape of electromagnetic fields that are conscious, as opposed to those that are not conscious. Seven predictions arising from this hypothesis are described. Existing empirical evidence shows that four of these predictions have already been successfully tested. Requirements for experimental testing of the other three are discussed. 3
The electromagnetic (EM) field theory of consciousness proposes that consciousness is identical w... more The electromagnetic (EM) field theory of consciousness proposes that consciousness is identical with certain brain-generated EM field patterns. It initially seemed to be a point in favour of this theory that EM fields are known to affect neurons, which in principle provides a mechanism whereby consciousness could affect its brain. However, it is shown here that the sorts of EM fields proposed by the theory as being conscious can act only on neurons that are either identical with, or spatially close to, the neurons that generated those fields in the first place. This makes it difficult to see how putatively conscious EM fields could initiate bodily movements. It does not harm the EM field theory of consciousness however, because an accumulation of independent psychological and physiological evidence shows that consciousness itself is not the proximal cause of voluntary movements. The fact that humans are not directly conscious of the initiation of their own bodily movements is now us...
Journal of the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, 2020
There is an urgent need for clinicians and medical scientists in the Australia-New Zealand region... more There is an urgent need for clinicians and medical scientists in the Australia-New Zealand region to engage in an objective discussion around the potential health impacts of the fifth generation (5G) wireless technology currently being deployed. The statements of assurance by the industry and government parties that dominate the media in our region are at odds with the warnings of hundreds of scientists actively engaged in research on biological/health effects of anthropogenic electromagnetic radiation/fields (EMR/EMF).1 There have been worldwide public protests as well as appeals by professionals and the general public2 that have compelled many cities in Europe to declare moratoria on 5G deployment and to begin investigations. In contrast, there is no medically-oriented professional discussion on this public health topic in Australia and New Zealand, where 5G deployment is being expedited. 5G is untested for safety on humans and other species and the limited existing evidence raise...
This paper argues that the prevailing official narrative in New Zealand concerning the relationsh... more This paper argues that the prevailing official narrative in New Zealand concerning the relationship between public health and the radio frequency emissions (RF) from cellphone technology, WiFi and electricity smart meters is scientifically and ethically flawed. The main regulatory document in the area, NZS2772.1:1999, is 20 years out of date and ignores existing laboratory evidence disproving its core assumption that the only biological effect of non-ionising radiation is tissue heating. This and further laboratory evidence for harmful effects of RF continues to be ignored, nominally on the contradictory grounds that (a) cellphone manufacturers say their products now emit less RF than early models, so early lab studies exposed tissue to RF levels higher than those now relevant (b) given the lack of actual data on population exposures either then or now, all laboratory evidence is unconvincing anyway. The offical narrative further opines that since there exist both laboratory and epi...
Featured Application: If the theory outlined here is correct, the construction of artificial cons... more Featured Application: If the theory outlined here is correct, the construction of artificial consciousness will certainly be possible, but a fundamentally different approach from that currently used in work on artificial intelligence will be necessary.
Official reports to governments throughout the Western world attempt to allay public concern abou... more Official reports to governments throughout the Western world attempt to allay public concern about the increasing inescapability of the microwaves (also known as radiofrequency radiation or RF) emitted by “smart” technologies, by repeating the dogma that the only proven biological effect of RF is acute tissue heating, and assuring us that the levels of radiation to which the public are exposed are significantly less than those needed to cause acute tissue heating. The present paper first shows the origin of this “thermal-only” dogma in the military paranoia of the 1950s. It then reveals how financial conflict of interest and intentionally misleading statements have been powerful factors in preserving that dogma in the face of now overwhelming evidence that it is false, using one 2018 report to ministers of the New Zealand government as an example. Lastly, some new pilot measurements of ambient RF power densities in Auckland city are reported and compared with levels reported in othe...
The electromagnetic field theory of consciousness proposes that conscious experiences are identic... more The electromagnetic field theory of consciousness proposes that conscious experiences are identical with certain electromagnetic patterns generated by the brain. While the theory has always acknowledged that not all of the electromagnetic patterns generated by brain activity are conscious, until now it has not been able to specify what might distinguish conscious patterns from non-conscious patterns. Here a hypothesis is proposed about the 3D shape of electromagnetic fields that are conscious, as opposed to those that are not conscious. Seven predictions arising from this hypothesis are described. Existing empirical evidence shows that four of these predictions have already been successfully tested. Requirements for experimental testing of the other three are discussed.
The prevailing folk-psychology of modern Western humans holds that
(1) an individual person or s... more The prevailing folk-psychology of modern Western humans holds that
(1) an individual person or self can be identified with that individual’s consciousness and thus that (2) consciousness can cause behaviour. In this paper I assemble a body of experimental and philosophical evidence suggesting that both of these beliefs might be mistaken. I discuss some of the practical and philosophical implications of the idea that consciousness does not in fact cause behaviour and conclude that it is not only a serious academic possibility but also an (almost) intuitively acceptable idea that consciousness may be epiphenomenal.
1. Long-term potentiation (LTP) is an enduring, activity-induced increase in the efficacy of syna... more 1. Long-term potentiation (LTP) is an enduring, activity-induced increase in the efficacy of synaptic transmission, which has been considered as a possible neural substrate for learning. Recent experiments have shown that LTP can be induced in hippocampal CA1 neurons when a presynaptic volley is paired repetitively with depolarization of the postsynaptic cell, brought about with intracellularly applied depolarizing current pulses (20, 33). We have repeated these experiments in neocortical neurons, in transverse slices of rat sensorimotor cortex in vitro. 2. Stable intracellular recordings were obtained from 28 neurons (mean resting potential -78 mV, mean spike amplitude 95 mV, mean input resistance 41 M omega) mostly in layers V and VI. Two different afferent pathways were stimulated alternately at 0.2 Hz to evoke subthreshold composite excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs). One micromolar bicuculline methiodide was added to the bathing medium in most experiments. 3. Repetitive...
The membrane permeable cyclic AMP analogue dibutyryl cAMP was found to have a biphasic effect on ... more The membrane permeable cyclic AMP analogue dibutyryl cAMP was found to have a biphasic effect on the amplitude of population spikes recorded in area CA1 of rat hippocampal slices in response to 0.05 Hz stimulation of the Schaffer collateral/commissural path. While dbcAMP was present the population spike was depressed and after washout of dbcAMP the population spike showed potentiation lasting at least 2 h. The population excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) was unaffected. Addition of picrotoxin throughout the experiment caused no change in the depression but reduced the potentiation caused by dbcAMP. We conclude that cAMP may play a role in long-term potentiation (LTP).
... Data were digi-tised and analysed using a peak picking program written in ASYST and VP Planne... more ... Data were digi-tised and analysed using a peak picking program written in ASYST and VP Planner to calculate population spike amplitude ... 4 Davies, SN, Lester, RAJ, Reymann, KG and Coltingridge, GL, Temporally distinct pre, and post-synaptic mechanisms maintain long-term ...
AlmUaet-Bath application of dibutyryl cyclic AMP, 8-bromo cyclic AMP or forskolin to hippocampal ... more AlmUaet-Bath application of dibutyryl cyclic AMP, 8-bromo cyclic AMP or forskolin to hippocampal slices caused a short-lasting decrease, followed after washout by a long-lasting increase in the amplitude of population spikes recorded in area CAI in response to 0.05 Hz stimulation of the Schaffer collateral/commissural pathway. Population spike depression lasted only as long as the cyclic AMP analogues were present in the bath, while the potentiation lasted for at least 2 h after they were washed out. Population excitatory postsynaptic potential amplitude was depressed while dibutyryl cyclic AMP was present in the bath, but after washout it was not significantly different from baseline amplitude. The population spike depression caused by dibutyryl cyclic AMP was prevented by the adenosine antagonist 8-p-sulfophenyltheophylline, but the long-lasting potentiation was not. Thus the transient depression induced by dibutyryl cyclic AMP was probably caused by an action of the drug or its breakdown products as adenosine agonists. The long-lasting potentiation is caused by a different mechanism. Occlusion experiments were performed to examine the relationship of the long-lasting population spike potentiation caused by dibutyryl cyclic AMP to the population spike long-term potentiation caused by high-frequency stimulation. High-frequency stimulation delivered after the population spike potentiation caused by dibutyryl cyclic AMP was established did cause a further potentiation, but only up to the level caused by high-frequency stimulation alone. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP administered after high frequency stimulation-induced long-term potentiation was established had no further potentiating effect. It was possible to increase population spike amplitude above the high-frequency stimulation-induced plateau level during post-tetanic potentiation. These results support the hypothesis that activity-induced increases in intracellular cyclic AMP are the cause of part, but not all, of high-frequency stimulation-induced long-term potentiation of the population spike.
The topological positions of nerve terminal sprouts in partially denervated rat sternocostal musc... more The topological positions of nerve terminal sprouts in partially denervated rat sternocostal muscles were analysed. Sprouted nerve terminals were found only within 200 pm of a denervated muscle fibre. but were not necessarily within 200pm of a denervated endplate. From this it was concluded that the sprout-inducing factor released from denervated muscle fibres does not necessarily arise from the denervated endplate, but may be released along the length of the muscle fibre. It is proposed that sprout factor is released during the incorporation of acetylcholine receptors into the muscle fibre membrane.
Prior studies of multichannel ECoG from animals showed that beta and gamma oscillations carried p... more Prior studies of multichannel ECoG from animals showed that beta and gamma oscillations carried perceptual information in both local and global spatial patterns of amplitude modulation, when the subjects were trained to discriminate conditioned stimuli (CS). Here the hypothesis was tested that similar patterns could be found in the scalp EEG human subjects trained to discriminate simultaneous visual-auditory CS. Signals were continuously recorded from 64 equispaced scalp electrodes and band-pass filtered. The Hilbert transform gave the analytic phase, which segmented the EEG into temporal frames, and the analytic amplitude, which expressed the pattern in each frame as a feature vector. Methods applied to the ECoG were adapted to the EEG for systematic search of the beta-gamma spectrum, the time period after CS onset, and the scalp surface to locate patterns that could be classified with respect to type of CS. Spatial patterns of EEG amplitude modulation were found from all subjects that could be classified with respect to stimulus combination type significantly above chance levels. The patterns were found in the beta range (15-22 Hz) but not in the gamma range. They occurred in three short bursts following CS onset. They were non-local, occupying the entire array. Our results suggest that the scalp EEG can yield information about the timing of episodically synchronized brain activity in higher cognitive function, so that future studies in brain-computer interfacing can be better focused. Our methods may be most valuable for analyzing data from dense arrays with very high spatial and temporal sampling rates.
ol'.4wkland. Privaie Bag .4uckland. New, Zeal and Recei ved .411,qa1 IO. 1982: revi.cion received... more ol'.4wkland. Privaie Bag .4uckland. New, Zeal and Recei ved .411,qa1 IO. 1982: revi.cion received Ocfoher II. I982 The question of whether or not postnatal growth in the length of end-plate acetylcholinesterase plaques in rat soleus muscle is controlled by the nerve or by the muscle was studied. When muscles with intact innervation were tenotomized in young rats, the muscles failed to grow in length and diameter and the end-plate esterase plaques remained short when the animals attained adulthood. When muscles in young rats were denervated the fibers also failed to grow in diameter and end-plate esterase plaques failed to attain the length of control plaques in normal innervated muscle. We conclude that growth of postnatal muscle fiber is an important determinant of end plate and motor terminal growth.
Experiments were performed to test the hypothesis that motoneurons are programmed to produce fixe... more Experiments were performed to test the hypothesis that motoneurons are programmed to produce fixed amounts of growth and transmitter release substrates and are unable to regulate production to match the number of nerve terminals they support. The size of the average motor unit in mouse tensor fascia latae muscles was approximately halved by cutting out the distal half of the muscle. Surviving terminals were assessed 100-110 days later for level of quantal output and percentage of terminals with sprouts. Both quantal output and sprout percentage were the same as in contralateral control muscles. Both parameters have been reported to be elevated 1-9 days after a similar operation. We conclude that mouse motoneurons can down-regulate their production of growth and release substrates but that the process takes more than 9 days to become effective.
The electromagnetic field theory of consciousness proposes that conscious experiences are identic... more The electromagnetic field theory of consciousness proposes that conscious experiences are identical with certain electromagnetic patterns generated by the brain. While the theory has always acknowledged that not all of the electromagnetic patterns generated by brain activity are conscious, until now it has not been able to specify what might distinguish conscious patterns from non-conscious patterns. Here a hypothesis is proposed about the 3-D shape of electromagnetic fields that are conscious, as opposed to those that are not conscious. Seven predictions arising from this hypothesis are described. Existing empirical evidence shows that four of these predictions have already been successfully tested. Requirements for experimental testing of the other three are discussed. 3
The electromagnetic (EM) field theory of consciousness proposes that consciousness is identical w... more The electromagnetic (EM) field theory of consciousness proposes that consciousness is identical with certain brain-generated EM field patterns. It initially seemed to be a point in favour of this theory that EM fields are known to affect neurons, which in principle provides a mechanism whereby consciousness could affect its brain. However, it is shown here that the sorts of EM fields proposed by the theory as being conscious can act only on neurons that are either identical with, or spatially close to, the neurons that generated those fields in the first place. This makes it difficult to see how putatively conscious EM fields could initiate bodily movements. It does not harm the EM field theory of consciousness however, because an accumulation of independent psychological and physiological evidence shows that consciousness itself is not the proximal cause of voluntary movements. The fact that humans are not directly conscious of the initiation of their own bodily movements is now us...
Journal of the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, 2020
There is an urgent need for clinicians and medical scientists in the Australia-New Zealand region... more There is an urgent need for clinicians and medical scientists in the Australia-New Zealand region to engage in an objective discussion around the potential health impacts of the fifth generation (5G) wireless technology currently being deployed. The statements of assurance by the industry and government parties that dominate the media in our region are at odds with the warnings of hundreds of scientists actively engaged in research on biological/health effects of anthropogenic electromagnetic radiation/fields (EMR/EMF).1 There have been worldwide public protests as well as appeals by professionals and the general public2 that have compelled many cities in Europe to declare moratoria on 5G deployment and to begin investigations. In contrast, there is no medically-oriented professional discussion on this public health topic in Australia and New Zealand, where 5G deployment is being expedited. 5G is untested for safety on humans and other species and the limited existing evidence raise...
This paper argues that the prevailing official narrative in New Zealand concerning the relationsh... more This paper argues that the prevailing official narrative in New Zealand concerning the relationship between public health and the radio frequency emissions (RF) from cellphone technology, WiFi and electricity smart meters is scientifically and ethically flawed. The main regulatory document in the area, NZS2772.1:1999, is 20 years out of date and ignores existing laboratory evidence disproving its core assumption that the only biological effect of non-ionising radiation is tissue heating. This and further laboratory evidence for harmful effects of RF continues to be ignored, nominally on the contradictory grounds that (a) cellphone manufacturers say their products now emit less RF than early models, so early lab studies exposed tissue to RF levels higher than those now relevant (b) given the lack of actual data on population exposures either then or now, all laboratory evidence is unconvincing anyway. The offical narrative further opines that since there exist both laboratory and epi...
Featured Application: If the theory outlined here is correct, the construction of artificial cons... more Featured Application: If the theory outlined here is correct, the construction of artificial consciousness will certainly be possible, but a fundamentally different approach from that currently used in work on artificial intelligence will be necessary.
Official reports to governments throughout the Western world attempt to allay public concern abou... more Official reports to governments throughout the Western world attempt to allay public concern about the increasing inescapability of the microwaves (also known as radiofrequency radiation or RF) emitted by “smart” technologies, by repeating the dogma that the only proven biological effect of RF is acute tissue heating, and assuring us that the levels of radiation to which the public are exposed are significantly less than those needed to cause acute tissue heating. The present paper first shows the origin of this “thermal-only” dogma in the military paranoia of the 1950s. It then reveals how financial conflict of interest and intentionally misleading statements have been powerful factors in preserving that dogma in the face of now overwhelming evidence that it is false, using one 2018 report to ministers of the New Zealand government as an example. Lastly, some new pilot measurements of ambient RF power densities in Auckland city are reported and compared with levels reported in othe...
The electromagnetic field theory of consciousness proposes that conscious experiences are identic... more The electromagnetic field theory of consciousness proposes that conscious experiences are identical with certain electromagnetic patterns generated by the brain. While the theory has always acknowledged that not all of the electromagnetic patterns generated by brain activity are conscious, until now it has not been able to specify what might distinguish conscious patterns from non-conscious patterns. Here a hypothesis is proposed about the 3D shape of electromagnetic fields that are conscious, as opposed to those that are not conscious. Seven predictions arising from this hypothesis are described. Existing empirical evidence shows that four of these predictions have already been successfully tested. Requirements for experimental testing of the other three are discussed.
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Papers by Susan Pockett
(1) an individual person or self can be identified with that individual’s consciousness and thus that (2) consciousness can cause behaviour. In this paper I assemble a body of experimental and philosophical evidence suggesting that both of these beliefs might be mistaken. I discuss some of the practical and philosophical implications of the idea that consciousness does not in fact cause behaviour and conclude that it is not only a serious academic possibility but also an (almost) intuitively acceptable idea that consciousness may be epiphenomenal.
(1) an individual person or self can be identified with that individual’s consciousness and thus that (2) consciousness can cause behaviour. In this paper I assemble a body of experimental and philosophical evidence suggesting that both of these beliefs might be mistaken. I discuss some of the practical and philosophical implications of the idea that consciousness does not in fact cause behaviour and conclude that it is not only a serious academic possibility but also an (almost) intuitively acceptable idea that consciousness may be epiphenomenal.