Open AccessJournal Article
NEUROPHENOMENOLOGY A Methodological Remedy for the Hard Problem
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The neurophenomenology approach of as mentioned in this paper is inspired by the style of inquiry of phenomenology and seeks articulations by mutual constraints between phenomena present in experience and the correlative field of phenomena established by the cognitive sciences.Abstract:
This paper starts with one of Chalmers' basic points: first-hand experience is an irreducible field of phenomena. I claim there is no 'theoretical fix' or 'extra ingredient' in nature that can possibly bridge this gap. Instead, the field of conscious phenomena requires a rigorous method and an explicit pragmatics for its exploration and analysis. My proposed approach, inspired by the style of inquiry of phenomenology, I have called neurophenomenol- ogy. It seeks articulations by mutual constraints between phenomena present in experience and the correlative field of phenomena established by the cognitive sciences. It needs to expand into a widening research community in which the method is cultivated further. This paper responds to the issues raised by D.J. Chalmers (1995) by offering a research direction which is quite radical in the way in which some basic methodological principles are linked to the scientific studies of consciousness. Neuro-phenomenology is the name I am using here to designate a quest to marry modern cognitive science and a disciplined approach to human experience, thus placing myself in the lineage of the continental tradition of phenomenology. 1 My claim is that the so-called hard problem that animates these Special Issues of the Journal of Consciousness Studies can only be addressed productively by gathering a research community armed with new pragmatic tools ena- bling them to develop a science of consciousness. I will claim that no piecemeal empirical correlates, nor purely theoretical principles, will really help us at this stage. We need to turn to a systematic exploration of the only link between mind and consciousness that seems both obvious and natural: the structure of human experience itself. In what follows I open my proposal by briefly examining the current debate about consciousness in the light of Chalmers' hard problem. Next, I outline the (neuro)pheno- menological strategy. I conclude by discussing some of the main difficulties and conse- quences of this strategy.read more
Citations
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Enação e metodologias de primeira pessoa: o reencantamento do concreto das investigações da experiência
TL;DR: In this article, a reencantamento do concreto proposto por Varela for os estudos da cognicao se coloca, a nosso ver, for as metodologias de primeira pessoa, a partir da abordagem pragmatica da fenomenologia formulada by Depraz, Varelas e Vermersch.
Proceedings ArticleDOI
Conscious learning semiotics systems to assist human persons (CLS 2 H)
TL;DR: The core of the project is a simulation environment which enables the development of conscious learning semiotic agents which will be able to assist human persons in their daily life.
Book ChapterDOI
Shaping Poetic Inquiry
TL;DR: In this paper, a phenomenologically inspired approach is proposed to do poetry with an emphasis on the mind-body-self nexus in relation to sensory experiences and the centrality of the 'visceral' body in the relationship between self-consciousness and the self.
O problema mente-corpo e a questão da naturalização da Fenomenologia
TL;DR: A Fenomenologia tem como uma de suas propostas fundamentais empreender uma reforma metodologica nas ciencias, fornecendo a elas um fundamento filosofico seguro e rigoroso as discussed by the authors.
Book ChapterDOI
Self and Neurophenomenology: Gift and Responsibility
Philip Clayton,Philip Clayton +1 more
TL;DR: Neurophenomenology represents a key discipline for addressing the most urgent questions in consciousness studies today as discussed by the authors, and it offers crucial insights into the nature of the emergent self and that so-called spiritual experiences augment narrowly empirical perspectives.
References
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