Neurophenomenology, Enaction, and Autopoïesis
Behavioral Neuroscience April 4, 2019 J. Stewart 21 citations
Neurophenomenology correlates descriptions of lived experience with brain states, but such correlations alone do not solve the hard problem of consciousness. The interpretation of these correlations requires situating the brain within a living body in the world, placing neuroscience in the context of cognitive science (enaction) and biology (autopoiesis). Three attentional networks distinguish conscious from nonconscious events: orienting to sensory stimulation, activating memory patterns, and maintaining alertness. Phenomenological studies reveal a three-part structure of the present with past and future horizons, linking to cognitive neuroscience findings on minimal time for neural events. Voluntary action is inseparable from consciousness, with neural correlates preceding action and imagination playing a role.