Is the function of consciousness to act as an interface?
Advances in Consciousness Research August 7, 2012 Bryony Pierce
Conscious experience, rather than being a step beyond psychological functions like beliefs and desires, should be situated at the interface between the physical body and cognitive processes. The author argues that the function of consciousness is to act as an interface, providing a means of interaction between bodily states and affordances in the external world, enabling rational, goal-directed action. This view is supported by empirical work in experimental psychology by Balleine and Dickinson (1998) and by the author's own philosophical work on grounding rationality, which together support Dickinson's Hedonic Interface Theory (HIT).