Page "Consciousness" Paragraph 25

One argument in the field of philosophy of consciousness deals with what it is that makes a mental state “ conscious ” in the sense of there being something it is like to experience that state.

David Rosenthal posits the “ transitivity principle ” as a possible answer to this question.

This principle holds that what makes a state conscious is the individual being aware of being in that state.

This happens, on Rosenthal ’ s account, through the use of a higher-order thought that is directed on the mental state in question.