Page "Consciousness" Paragraph 14

Since the dawn of Newtonian science with its vision of simple mechanical principles governing the entire universe, some philosophers have been tempted by the idea that consciousness could be explained in purely physical terms.

The first influential writer to propose such an idea explicitly was Julien Offray de La Mettrie, in his book Man a Machine ( L ' homme machine ).

His arguments, however, were very abstract.

The most influential modern physical theories of consciousness are based on psychology and neuroscience.

Theories proposed by neuroscientists such as Gerald Edelman and Antonio Damasio, and by philosophers such as Daniel Dennett, seek to explain consciousness in terms of neural events occurring within the brain.

Many other neuroscientists, such as Christof Koch, have explored the neural basis of consciousness without attempting to frame all-encompassing global theories.

At the same time, computer scientists working in the field of Artificial Intelligence have pursued the goal of creating digital computer programs that can simulate or embody consciousness.