| Title: |
Non‐human consciousness and the specificity problem: A modest theoretical proposal |
| Authors: |
Shevlin, Henry |
| Contributors: |
Leverhulme Trust |
| Source: |
Mind & Language ; volume 36, issue 2, page 297-314 ; ISSN 0268-1064 1468-0017 |
| Publisher Information: |
Wiley |
| Publication Year: |
2021 |
| Collection: |
Wiley Online Library (Open Access Articles via Crossref) |
| Description: |
Most scientific theories of consciousness are challenging to apply outside the human case insofar as non‐human systems (both biological and artificial) are unlikely to implement human architecture precisely, an issue I call the specificity problem . After providing some background on the theories of consciousness debate, I survey the prospects of four approaches to this problem. I then consider a fifth solution, namely the theory‐light approach proposed by Jonathan Birch. I defend a modified version of this that I term the modest theoretical approach , arguing that it may provide insights into challenging cases that would otherwise be intractable. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
English |
| DOI: |
10.1111/mila.12338 |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.1111/mila.12338; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/mila.12338; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/mila.12338 |
| Rights: |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.7693C2B |
| Database: |
BASE |