The Origin of Consciousness

2010 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 481-495
Author(s):  
Jonathan Cole
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Medicine ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Brain Anatomy ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Neural Correlates Of Consciousness ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
External Stimuli

This paper introduces the background to the debate addressed by the papers of this Special Issue of Pragmatics & Cognition. Starting with a definition of consciousness it traces some ways in which the term is applied; from clinical medicine, where it relates somewhat crudely to responsiveness to external stimuli, to more cognitive and philosophical aspects such as higher order consciousness and its content. It then discusses the relation of consciousness to brain anatomy, the neural correlates of consciousness, and its possible evolution. In the meeting which forms the basis for Frith’s core paper, Christof Koch also made important contributions, here précised. A discussion of the origins of consciousness in relation to the top-down and bottom-up models brought to the fore follows suit.

A double anniversary for the neural correlates of consciousness: Editorial introduction

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (II) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sascha Benjamin Fink
Keyword(s):  
Research Programme ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Editorial Introduction ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Standard Definition ◽  
Neural Correlates Of Consciousness ◽  
Definition Of

This special issue celebrates the double anniversary of the neural correlates of consciousness (NCCs): 30 years since the research programme for finding neural correlates of consciousness was brought back onto the scientific agenda and 20 years since the standard definition of an NCC was published in a seminal anthology. Here, we take up some of the conceptual, methodological, and empirical questions raised and take stock of how the field has developed since then.

The pragmatics of ritual

Pragmatics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dániel Z. Kádár ◽  
Juliane House
Keyword(s):  
Position Paper ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Working Definition ◽  
Methodological Perspective ◽  
Present Collection ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract This introductory position paper aims to familiarise the reader with the pragmatics of ritual and previous research in this field. Ritual is a complex pragmatic phenomenon present in many types of interaction, and it has been subject to academic inquiries in various disciplines. We will draw on previous research to provide a working definition of ritual, which will help us to introduce the present collection of papers. We will then introduce the different, but interrelated, methodologies used in ritual research, categorising these complementary methodologies as ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ respectively. We use this categorisation to overview the contributions of the special issue from a methodological perspective. Finally, a summary of the contents of the special issue completes this introduction.

Integracja w dezintegracji i dezintegracja w integracji: determinanty mechanizmów integracyjnych w Unii Europejskiej

2018 ◽  
pp. 10-37
Author(s):  
Barbara Curyło
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Modus Operandi ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Differentiated Integration ◽  
Integration Mechanisms ◽  
Strategic Issue ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Eu

In the discussion on the future of the EU, the topic of differentiated integration has become a strategic issue, with different variants beginning to appear as modus operandi of the European Union, which has become a subject of controversy among Member States. Significantly, the debate on differentiated integration began to be accompanied by reflections on disintegration. This article attempts to define disintegration on the assumption that it should be defined through the prism of integration, and that such a defining process can not be limited to concluding a one-way contrast between disintegration versus integration and vice versa. This is due to the assumption that the European Union is a dichotomous construct in which integration and disintegration mutually exclude and complement each other. This dichotomy is most evident in the definition of integration and disintegration through the prism of Europeanisation top-down and bottom-up processes that generate, reveal, visualize, stimulate integration mechanisms what allows to diagnose their determinants.

scholarly journals Ask and You Shall Receive: A closer look on unsolved consciousness issue

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Motavalli ◽  
◽  
Javad Mahmoudi ◽  
Alireza Majdi ◽  
Saeed Sadigh-Eteghad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Historical Aspects ◽  
Neural Correlates Of Consciousness ◽  
States Of Consciousness ◽  
Mind And Body ◽  
The Brain

Although there are numerous views about the concept of consciousness, no consensus exists regarding the meaning. However, with the aid of the latest neuroscientific developments, the misleading obstacles related to consciousness have been removed. Over the last few decades, neuroscientific efforts in determining the function of the brain and merging these findings with philosophical theories, have brought a more comprehensive perception of the notion of consciousness. In addition to metaphysical/ontological views of consciousness e.g., higher-order theories, reflexive theories, and representationalist theories, there are some brain directed topics in this matter which include but not are limited to neural correlates of consciousness (NCC), brain loop connectivity, and lateralization. This narrative review sheds light on cultural and historical aspects of consciousness in old and middle ages and introduces some of the prominent philosophical discussions related to mind and body. Also, it illustrates the correlation of brain function with states of consciousness with a focus on the roles of function and connectivity.

Perspective: Validation—What Does It Mean?

2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Roache
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Journal Policies

Ambiguities, inconsistencies, and recommended interpretations of the commonly cited definition of validation for computational fluid dynamics codes/models are examined. It is shown that the definition-deduction approach is prone to misinterpretation, and that bottom-up descriptions rather than top-down legalistic definitions are to be preferred for science-based engineering and journal policies, though legalistic definitions are necessary for contracts.

Visual Illusions?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Koenderink
Keyword(s):  
Partial Order ◽  
Visual Illusions ◽  
Formal Structure ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Biological Approach ◽  
Definition Of

The very definition of “illusion” is elusive. Various distinct ontologies are considered. The concept is tightly bound to the understanding of reality, awareness, “God’s eye,” objectivity, subjectivity, emphatic relations, and several others. Here the distinctions between “illusion,” “ambiguity, “delusion,” and “deception,” are clarified. The very notion of illusion is closely tied to conceptual approaches to mind. Especially the dichotomy between a top-down “controlled hallucination” and a bottom-up “inverse physics” approach accounts for much confusion in the literature. It is suggested that a thoroughly biological approach might be preferable. In such an approach, experimental psychobiology would be a special sub-branch—devoted to the genus homo—of ethology. Does this help to impose a formal structure, such as a partial order, on the zoo of illusions as we know them? Unfortunately, not really. At this moment in history, we are still far from such a reasoned inventory.

scholarly journals A functional context for heterogeneity of the circadian clock in cells

PLoS Biology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. e3000927
Author(s):  
Martha Merrow ◽  
Mary Harrington
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Clock ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Circadian Period ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Stochastic Generation ◽  
Circadian Phase ◽  
Functional Context ◽  
Definition Of

Characterization of circadian systems at the organism level—a top-down approach—has led to definition of unifying properties, a hallmark of the science of chronobiology. The next challenge is to use a bottom-up approach to show how the molecular workings of the cellular circadian clock work as building blocks of those properties. We review new studies, including a recently published PLOS Biology paper by Nikhil and colleagues, that show how programmed but also stochastic generation of variation in cellular circadian period explain important adaptive features of entrained circadian phase.

Distinguishing absence of awareness from awareness of absence

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (II) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matan Mazor ◽  
Stephen M. Fleming
Keyword(s):  
Research Program ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
The State ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Neural Correlates Of Consciousness ◽  
Brain States ◽  
Empirical Approaches ◽  
Different Levels

Contrasting brain states when subjects are aware compared to unaware of a presented stimulus has allowed researchers to isolate candidate neural correlates of consciousness. Here we propose that an important next step in this research program is to investigate, perhaps paradoxically, brain states that covary with reports of absences of awareness. Specifically, we propose that in order to distinguish content-specific and content-invariant neural correlates of consciousness, a distinction needs to be made between the neural correlates of awareness of stimulus absence, and the neural correlates of absence of awareness (of either stimulus presence or absence). We ground this distinction in higher-order computational models of consciousness, where the state of higher-order nodes is invariant to the specific contents of awareness. To map the different levels of these models to neurophysiological correlates, we suggest two empirical approaches – inverted designs and two-dimensional awareness reports – in which reports about awareness and stimulus presence can be dissociated.

Special Issue on Texturing Processes and Attainable Functionalities

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-3
Author(s):  
Nobuyuki Moronuki
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Energy Beam ◽  
Surface Functionality ◽  
Material Deposition ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Lotus Leaves ◽  
Optical Applications

Regular micro/nanostructures or textures provide such functions as optical or friction properties, but neither texture design nor the texturing process has been well developed. Functional texture is often inspired by natural designs, with the microstructure on the surface of lotus leaves or the nanostructure on the bottoms of geckos’ feet often cited as examples. “Biomimetic” has become a keyword in state-of-the-art technologies. Processes are also important because functional textures require a wide range of structural dimensions, from nanometers to micrometers. Top-down processes such as cutting or energy beam processing are often used and are based on the copying principle. Bottom-up processes include the self-assembly of particles and the anodic oxidation of aluminum. As the principle behind bottom-up processes is completely different from that behind top-down processes, special attention is warranted. Furthermore, material deposition can effect drastic changes in surface functionality. This special issue features nine papers, including eight studies and one review paper, classified into the following topics: - Biomimetic design of functions - Top-down or cutting texturing processes - Bottom-up or self-organization texturing processes - Measurement system for textures - Optical applications - Optical applications - Adhesive applications - Biomedical applications These papers present the latest advances in texturing processes, functional design, and realization or demonstration. Learning more about these advances will enable readers toshare their knowledge and experience in technologies, development, and potential texturing applications. In closing, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the authors and reviewers for their interesting and enlightening contributions to this special issue.

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