Abstract

Against the commissural-integrative hypothesis, Puccetti argues that all normal people have two streams of consciousness; the cerebral commissures cannot fuse into a single stream any processes proceeding in different hemispheres. Against Puccetti, it is argued that, since the same kind of connecting fibers must be responsible for our having unified cross-modal experiences, they must be able to do the job, as well, of integrating processes across hemispheres. In response to this argument and in a pluralistic effort to instigate further development of Puccetti's hypothesis, I present a "Puccetti-compatible" account of cross-modal integration, which does not assign this function to connecting fibers and proposes two integrative conscious foci, one in each hemisphere of both normal and commissurotomized individuals. Also, I introduce a close alternative to the Puccetti-compatible account, which postulates a functioning integrative conscious focus in the dominant cerebral hemisphere of normal people, but only a potentially functioning integrative conscious focus in their nondominant hemisphere) which is disinhibited upon either full commissurotomy, dominant hemispherectomy, or drugging the dominant hemisphere. Thus, this article is preparation for the next article in this series, which will examine what evidence proposed or possible exists for an actually functioning integrative conscious focus in the fully connected, healthy nondominant hemisphere