Distinguished Lecture Series: Tim Bayne (Oxford)
Explanation does not exist in a metaphysical vacuum. Conceptions of the structure of a phenomenon play an important role in guiding attempts to explain it, and erroneous conceptions of a phenomenon may direct investigation in misleading directions. I believe that there is a case to be made for thinking that much work on the neural underpinnings of consciousness — what is often called the neural correlates of consciousness — is driven by an erroneous conception of the structure of consciousness. In this talk I examine some connections between the explanation of consciousness and the structure of consciousness, and to argue for a conception of the structure of consciousness that is more adequate than that which currently drives much research into the neural correlates of consciousness. Dr Tim Bayne is a Fellow of St Catherine’s College and lecturer in the Department of Philosophy, University of Oxford Distinguished Lecture Series Poster All welcome!