Intentionality and Consciousness
In William Banks (ed.), Encyclopaedia of Consciousness. Elsevier (2009)
Authors |
|
Abstract |
Intentionality is usually defined as the directedness of the mind toward something other than itself. My desire for a cold beer is directed at the cold beer in front of me. Much of consciousness is intentional, my conscious experiences are usually directed at something. However, conscious experiences typically have a phenomenal character: there is something it is like for me to see the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean and to feel the warm water lapping over my feet, and to smell the briny breeze. An important question to answer concerning the relationship between intentionality and consciousness is whether all conscious states are intentional? Another question concerns the explanatory priority of intentionality and phenomenal character: Can phenomenal character be explained in terms of intentionality? Or is it the case that intentionality should be understood in terms of phenomenology? Philosophers from the analytic, phenomenological, and naturalistic traditions have all made important contributions to our understanding of intentionality and consciousness. Some philosophers, such as Dretske, think that our phenomenology is intentionally structured. Others, such as Horgan and Tienson think that intentionality is fundamentally determined by our phenomenology. This looks like an impasse; however it may well be resolved by a combination of contemporary accounts of representation combined with an embodied phenomenology.
|
Keywords | Intentionality Phenomenology Naturalism Consciousness |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
Buy the book |
Find it on Amazon.com
|
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
No references found.
Citations of this work BETA
Know-How as Competence. A Rylean Responsibilist Account.David Lowenstein - 2017 - Frankfurt am Main: Vittorio Klostermann.
Knowledge of Partial Awareness in Disorders of Consciousness: Implications for Ethical Evaluations?Orsolya Friedrich - 2013 - Neuroethics 6 (1):13-23.
Is Attention Both Necessary and Sufficient for Consciousness?Antonios Kaldas - 2019 - Dissertation, Macquarie University
Similar books and articles
The Intentionality of Consciousness and Consciousness of Intentionality.Kenneth Williford - 2005 - In G Forrai (ed.), Intentionality: Past and Future. Amsterdam/New York: Rodopi.
Cognitive Phenomenology as the Basis of Unconscious Content.Uriah Kriegel - 2011 - In T. Bayne & M. Montague (eds.), Cognitive Phenomenology. Oxford University Press. pp. 79--102.
The Representational Character of Experience.David J. Chalmers - 2004 - In Brian Leiter (ed.), The Future for Philosophy. Oxford University Press. pp. 153--181.
The Intentionality of Phenomenology and the Phenomenology of Intentionality.Terence Horgan & John Tienson - 2002 - In David J. Chalmers (ed.), Philosophy of Mind: Classical and Contemporary Readings. Oup Usa. pp. 520--533.
The Connection Between Intentionality and Consciousness.Norton Nelkin - 1993 - In Martin Davies & Glyn W. Humphreys (eds.), Consciousness: Psychological and Philosophical Essays. Blackwell.
Intentionality, Consciousness and Intentional Relations: From Constitutive Phenomenology to Cognitive Science.John Barresi - 2004 - In L. Embree (ed.), Gurwitsch's Relevance for Cognitive Science. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers. pp. 79--93.
The Fiction of Phenomenal Intentionality.Nicholas Georgalis - 2003 - Consciousness and Emotion 4 (2):243-256.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2009-04-19
Total views
229 ( #49,718 of 2,517,822 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
1 ( #409,482 of 2,517,822 )
2009-04-19
Total views
229 ( #49,718 of 2,517,822 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
1 ( #409,482 of 2,517,822 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads