David S. Webster (1994) Collingwood and Vygotsky on Consciousness . Psycoloquy: 5(22) Split Brain (8)
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Psycoloquy 5(22): Collingwood and Vygotsky on Consciousness

Collingwood and Vygotsky on Consciousness
Commentary on Puccetti on Split-brain

David S. Webster
Department of Psychology
University of Durham
Durham, UK

D.S.Webster@durham.ac.uk

Abstract

Both Collingwood and Vygotsky take consciousness to be the reflexive consequence of the structure of activity. The most important activity related to human consciousness is speech -- the source of narrative consciousness. Dennett's "multiple drafts" may be best understood as an aspect of the reflexivity of speech. Puccetti is right about the dangers of placing too much emphasis on "narrative richness" as a criterion for personhood and thereby, the right to life.

Keywords

cartesianism, cell death, cerebral dominance, consciousness, hemispherectomy, lateralization, mental duality, mental unity, multiple drafts, split brain.

References