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Consciousness in act and action

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Abstract

This paper develops an account of consciousness in action. Both consciousness and action are related to knowledge. A voluntary action is defined as a volition, or something intentionally effected by means of such volitions. Volitions are conscious mental acts whose proper function is to make their content true. A mental act is the exercise of a power of mind and a conscious mental act is identical with knowledge of its own phenomenal character. This set of definitions elucidates the relations between consciousness, action and knowledge.

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Hossack, K. Consciousness in act and action. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 2, 187–203 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PHEN.0000004924.13885.54

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PHEN.0000004924.13885.54

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