THE DISSOCIATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
AND THE CONTROL OF BEHAVIOR
Commentary on Bridgeman on Consciousness

Abstract

There is clearly a relation between consciousness and planned action, this has been recognised since the time of Aristotle. Many of our plans are conscious; the execution of those plans often requires conscious activity, and much of our conscious activity is involved in the goal-directed control of action. In so far as he attempts to explain the phylogenetic evolution of consciousness, Bridgeman seems to be looking in the right place; an account of the evolution of consciousness that emphasizes its connection to behavioral consequences. The assimilation of communication to planned behavior more generally would also seem to be promising. However, there are a number of reasons to believe that the connections that lie at the crux of Bridgeman's account are less straightforward than he caimss.

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