Reflections on Inner and Outer Silence and Consciousness Without Contents According to the Sphere Model of Consciousness
Frontiers in Psychology August 12, 2020 Patrizio Paoletti, Tal Dotan Ben‐soussan 47 citations
Focusing attention on silence can serve as a paradigm similar to sensory deprivation for studying consciousness without content. This hypothesis paper reviews influential models of consciousness and their views on the relationship between consciousness and its contents. After assessing strengths and weaknesses of current models, the authors propose an extension based on the Sphere Model of Consciousness (SMC), introducing new definitions for identification and self-awareness as states of consciousness. They compare Paoletti's theoretical model for self-development with other models, noting similarities and differences. The paper concludes by discussing how attentional focus on silence can be empirically tested.