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Cognition and Consciousness in the Space of Possible Minds

To understand the mind and its place in Nature is one of the great intellectual challenges of our time, a challenge that is both scientific and philosophical. How does cognition influence an animal's behaviour? What are its neural underpinnings? How is the inner life of a human being constituted? What are the neural underpinnings of the conscious condition?

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Why does the joy or the suffering of our fellow creatures matter? If an inanimate object such as a brick or a television is abused in some way or other, we may feel distaste or displeasure, but we do not feel compassion. Yet when a fellow creature squeals in pain, we feel sorry for it. Or if we are indifferent, our indifference itself is noteworthy in a way that it is not in the context of a shattered brick. But what exactly distinguishes the brick from the animal here? A common sort of answer would be that an animal possesses consciousness whereas a brick does not. An animal’s life is a succession of conscious experiences, and it is the character of those experiences—good or bad—that matters. The story of a brick, on the other hand, makes no mention of such things.​​

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Cognition and Consciousness in the Space of Possible Mind

Rubber mannequin head with mixed media components, epoxy, and white semi-gloss acrylic
10 x 10 x 10 in / 25.4 x 25.4 x 25.4 cm
2024

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The Original Mannequin Project — Melrose & McQueen - Atlanta, GA - 12.07.2024

© 1977-2025 Copyright | Thomas Arthur Schaefer | All Rights Reserved

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