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Discussion Post Requirements:- Responses must be well thought out and well written- Responses must focus on course material first and personal reflection second- Initial discussion question responses must be between 350-500 words. Make sure your responses are thoughtful and rooted in the course material and referenced accordingly.Group Discussion Board Rubric: Category 5 points 10 points 15 points 25 points Relevance of Post Post topics that do not relate to the discussion content or makes short remarks. Partially posts on topic and partially off-topic. Posts are related to the discussion topic. Post topics related to the discussion topic, relates outside material to the topic, and prompts further discussion. Includes a citation for material other than the textbook and meets 350+ word count requirement. Interaction with Peers Does not post a reply to two classmates’ post. Posts a very short reply to two classmates’ posts (e.g., “I agree,” “Good point,” etc.). Posts a reply to two classmates’ posts but does not stimulate further discussion. Interacts actively with at least two peers in a substantive manner (i.e., with relevance and insight about the topic). Delivery of post Uses poor spelling and grammar. Post may appear hasty. Several errors in spelling or grammar. Few grammatical or spelling errors. Consistently uses proper spelling and grammar. module_one_slides_5.pptx Unformatted Attachment Preview Dr. Lickliter’s Musings on “Consciousness” A Scientific Approach to Consciousness • The basic premise of science is that nature is, in principle, knowable and that nature is assumed to have relatively constant cause-effect relationships (for example, if oxygen and hydrogen unite today to form water, it is assumed they will tomorrow as well). • In the process of discovering these relationships, scientists obtain data through observation and experimentation (testing hypotheses). The contents of consciousness include a wide range of phenomena, including the perceptual world, inner speech and visual imagery, bodily feelings like pleasure, pain, hunger and thirst, current expectations and actions, beliefs, etc. These thoughts and experiences are internal, private, and thus very difficult if not impossible to observe by others. As a result, there has been a resistance to the idea that consciousness could be a topic of scientific study. How can we observe it, measure it, accurately describe it? Historically, most scientists have argues that we cannot study consciousness scientifically. However, things are changing as neuroscience, including neural imaging, advances each year. In the last 10-15 years, many books, scientific journals, and conferences have appeared focused on consciousness. Several assumption or approaches are evident in this move to study the phenomenon of consciousness: 1. The Physical Assumption: Only physical (material) processes and mechanisms are required to explain consciousness. These are typically assumed to be features (neurons, synapses, networks) of the brain. 2. The Evolutionary Assumption: Consciousness is assumed to be an evolved process and is associated with biological organisms interacting in a real, ecologically rich world. It is assumed that the ability for consciousness serves adaptive functions. Big Questions About Consciousness • How do brain processes result in conscious states and how are those states realized in brain structures? • Is consciousness localized in certain regions of the brain or is it a global phenomenon? Big Questions • What is the right level for explaining consciousness? Is it at the level of neurons and synapses, or do we have to go to higher functional levels such as neuronal maps or networks of neurons? • Might we even have to go beyond the brain? Big Questions • Can we explain consciousness with existing neuronal theories or do we need some revolutionary new theoretical concepts to explain it? A Working Definition of CONSCIOUSNESS: •Consciousness consists of inner, qualitative, subjective states and processes of awareness. •In other words – being aware of being aware Consciousness… • Consciousness, so defined, begins when we wake in the morning from sleep and continues until we fall asleep again, die, go into a coma, or otherwise become “unconscious”. • It includes all of the enormous variety of the awareness we think of as characteristic of our waking life. Consciousness can include everything from: • feeling a pain • perceiving objects visually • states of anxiety or depression • working crossword puzzles • playing chess • trying to remember your aunt’s phone number • arguing about politics • or just wishing you were somewhere else Being Consciousness • This “being consciousness” is at a basic physiological level easy to observe or verify, since when we are not conscious, our bodies collapse, our eyes roll up in their orbits, and our brain waves become large, slow, and regular. Being Consciousness • While these outer physical signs of consciousness are pretty clear for all to see, it is our inner (cognitive, emotional, perceptual) life that is private to us is what counts most and what we would like to better understand. • In other words, how does it this inner life of the “mind” happen? Cartesian (Interactive) Dualism • Mind and Body exist, but are distinct • Mind and Body causally interact (through the brain) Intuitive Argument for Dualism • There is a straightforward argument for Dualism: • Physical stuff is ‘tangible’: • It takes up space • It has mass • It can be touched, kicked, painted, observed, etc. • Our mind is not like that at all! Materialism • The mind is part of a purely physical universe • No ‘non-physical mind-stuff’ • ‘Mind’ is an abstraction … describing our cognitive capabilities such a perception, reasoning, decision-making … which we have due to our brain! • ‘Mind is what brain does’ • No brain -> no mind! No ghosts, no souls, no spirits. The Mind-Brain Relationship Chalmers (1995) proposes two problems that must be distinguished when discussing consciousness: • “Easy problems” focus on differences in conscious states and their possible mechanisms. • “Hard problems” focus on why and how brain activity is associated with consciousness in the first place. ... Purchase answer to see full attachment