Neurophenomenology and the Spontaneity of Consciousness
Canadian Journal of Philosophy Supplementary Volume January 1, 2003 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1080/00455091.2003.10717597
Summary
Consciousness is the core difficulty of the mind-body problem, indicating that current concepts are inadequate to explain the relationship between mind and body. A new conceptual development is needed. Mind can be understood as a spatiotemporal pattern that shapes the brain's metastable dynamic patterns.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Consciousness reveals the inadequacy of present concepts for understanding the mind-body relation, and mind is a spatiotemporal pattern that molds the brain's metastable dynamics. |
Abstract
Consciousness is what makes the mind-body problem really intractable (Nagel1980, p. 150). My reading of the situation is that our inability to come up with an intelligible conception of the relation between mind and body is a sign of the inadequacy of our present concepts, and that some development is needed (Nagel1998, p. 338). Mind itself is a spatiotemporal pattern that molds the metastable dynamic patterns of the brain (Kelso 1995, p. 288).