Emergence of meaning, signals and the concept of consciousness
Filosofia Unisinos October 30, 2024 Esteban Céspedes
Meaning emerges from interactions between individuals and their environments, as shown by signaling games. The concept of consciousness, like all concepts, forms from such games and acquires a sense, from which its reference to the world can be inferred. A representationalist account of consciousness contrasts with an enactivist account. A conscious state can be assumed and fixed by intensional reference. Although consciousness may be excluded from neurobiological explanation, it remains semantically relevant, reflecting a semantic gap between the mental and the physical.