Horace Barlow (1992) Consciousness and Culture
. Psycoloquy: 3(43) Consciousness (24)
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Psycoloquy 3(43): Consciousness and Culture
CONSCIOUSNESS AND CULTURE
Commentary on Bridgeman on Consciousness
Horace Barlow
Physiological Laboratory
Downing St
Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
AECP1@PHOENIX.CAMBRIDGE.AC.UK
Abstract
Bridgeman agrees that consciousness is bootstrapped by
other brains but he argues that it then becomes autonomous and
hence that it is possible to examine it in a single brain. If one
does so one should be aware that the method can tell one little or
nothing about important aspects of the object of study, which stems
from the fact that the most important aspect of consciousness is
that it is the medium through which the social culture within which
we live is transmitted and developed. If you study consciousness in
an isolated brain, you will be studying a biological phenomenon
divorced from its extraordinarily potent role in our evolution.
Keywords
consciousness, language, plans, motivation, evolution,
motor system
References
- Barlow, Horace (1992) The Social Role of Consciousness: Commentary on Bridgeman on Consciousness. PSYCOLOQUY 3(19) consciousness.4
- Bridgeman, Bruce (1992a) On the Evolution of Consciousness and Language. PSYCOLOQUY 3(15) consciousness.1
- Bridgeman, Bruce (1992b) The social bootstrapping of human consciousness. Reply to Barlow on Bridgeman on Consciousness. PSYCOLOQUY 3(20) consciousness.5
- [Editorial Note: Bruce Bridgeman has elected not to respond.]