Abstract
The spotlight metaphor for the characterization of consciousness is examined. It is argued that, in effect, models based on this metaphor are not explanatory. In crucial respects, the models are not informative and they can account neither for the specific qualities of human consciousness nor for its function. In the spirit of pragmatic analyses in language, it is suggested that consciousness be viewed as an act. With this, a shift is made from a selectional to a generative perspective of consciousness. The proposal is grounded in a general critique of cognitive modelling in terms of underlying mental representations.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 77-84 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | New Ideas in Psychology |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 2001 |
Keywords
- Consciousness
- Spotlight
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