Conscious Thought
The Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Consciousness July 9, 2020 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198749677.013.7
Summary
Conscious thought, though often neglected, raises three key questions: what forms it takes, whether its consciousness is unique, and if consciousness is essential or accidental to thought. This chapter offers an opinionated overview of these issues.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Conscious thought raises three central questions: its taxonomy, the nature of its consciousness, and whether consciousness is essential to it. |
Abstract
Conscious thought has been neglected, but it has not been entirely overlooked. Discussion of the topic has focused on three sets of questions. The first set of questions focuses on the kinds of states (events, episodes) that qualify as forms of conscious thought. What might a taxonomy of conscious thought look like? A second set of questions concerns the kind(s) of consciousness that characterizes thought. Are thoughts conscious in the same fundamental way that other mental phenomena are, or is ‘cognitive consciousness’—that is, the consciousness associated with thought—sui generis? A third set of questions concerns the relationship between consciousness and thought. Is consciousness essential to thought, or is it an accidental and contingent feature of thought—a feature that some thoughts possess but others lack? This chapter provides an opinionated point of entry into these and other questions.