Neurophilosophical assessment of the representational theory of consciousness

Research Project

Project/Area Number	22720014
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Philosophy/Ethics
Research Institution	Nanzan University
Principal Investigator	SUZUKI Takayuki 南山大学, 人文学部, 准教授 (20434607)
Project Period (FY)	2010 – 2012
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2012)
Budget Amount *help	¥3,380,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥780,000) Fiscal Year 2012: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000) Fiscal Year 2011: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000) Fiscal Year 2010: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000)
Keywords	哲学原論 / 各論 / 意識 / 現象的意識 / 表象理論 / 自然主義 / 神経哲学 / クオリア / 表象
Research Abstract	In this research project, I found the following things. The arguments that claim we cannot understand conscious experience within the scientific framework have various problems. The representational theory of consciousness, which claims that conscious experiences are essentially mental states representing how the external world is, can explain systematically various features of conscious experience and therefore is the most promising theory about consciousness. Though the theory has several serious problems, we can fend them off by re-examining the concept of representation used in the theory.