Consciousness: From Perception to Reflection in the History of PhilosophySara Heinämaa, Vili Lähteenmäki, Pauliina Remes SARA HEINÄMAA,VILI LÄHTEENMÄKI AND PAULIINA REMES This book is about consciousness. It illuminates the concept in its complexity and richness, capturing its theoretical and philosophical significance as well as its problematic aspects. By taking a new look into the history of concepts, the collection questions several deep-seated assumptions about consciousness – assumptions both thematic and methodological. It argues that, even though our predecessors did not formulate their philosophical queries in terms of consciousness, they have much to offer to our current disputes concerning its central features, such as reflexivity, subjectivity and aboutness, as well as related themes, from selfhood to attention and embodiment. At the same time, the collection demonstrates that consciousness is not just an issue in the p- losophy of mind, but is bound to ontology, epistemology and moral theory. We can find premodern and early modern concepts and arguments that are interesting and even crucial to our own philosophical concerns, but we should not assume that these belong or contribute to any theory of mind isolated from metaphysical and ethical discussions: an argument that for us provides insightful descriptions of perception or self-awareness might to its writer have meant not just a theoretization of the soul or the mind, but also, and perhaps more importantly, a contribution to ethics or ontology. |
Contents
4 | |
Reflexivity and Reflection | 20 |
On Platos Lack of Consciousness | 28 |
The Problem of Consciousness in Aristotles Psychology | 49 |
Ownness of Conscious Experience in Ancient Philosophy | 67 |
Before and After Avicenna | 95 |
The Notion of Presentialitas | 123 |
1 | 142 |
33 | 199 |
The Status of Consciousness in Spinozas Concept of Mind | 203 |
41 | 218 |
49 | 230 |
The Living Consciousness of the German Idealists | 245 |
The Heidelberg School and the Limits of Reflection | 266 |
51 | 279 |
Contemporary Naturalism and the Concept of Consciousness | 287 |
Augustine and Descartes on the Function of Attention | 153 |
14 | 158 |
29 | 175 |
329 | |
355 | |
Other editions - View all
Consciousness: From Perception to Reflection in the History of Philosophy Sara Heinämaa,Vili Lähteenmäki,Pauliina Remes No preview available - 2007 |
Consciousness: From Perception to Reflection in the History of Philosophy Sara Heinämaa,Vili Lähteenmäki,Pauliina Remes No preview available - 2010 |
Common terms and phrases
According activity actually affections already ancient animal appearance argues Aristotle attention awareness become beliefs body called Cambridge capacity causal cause chapter claim cognitive common concept concerning consciousness consider constitute contemporary Descartes direct discussion distinction distinguish example existence experience explain external fact faculties feel functions given human idea identify implies important includes individual intellect intentional interesting intuitive involved issue judgements Kant Kant’s kind knowledge least living matter means memory mental mind nature notion object occur one’s operations origin Oxford particular passage perceive perception person philosophy position possible present principle problem properties psychological pure question rational reason reference reflection reflexive regard relation requires seems self-awareness sensations sense sensory soul Spinoza structure substance theory thing thinking thought tion trans true types understanding understood University Press wonder