---
abstract: |-
  Our sense that we do something deliberately may be an
                                 afterthought that arises after our brains have already triggered our action
                                 unconsciously. Consciousness itself may be a similar illusory afterthought,
                                 with no direct causal role. In any case, Methodological epiphenomenalism,
                                 together with the Turing Test, seem to be be the best strategy for cognitive
                                 modelling.
altloc:
  - http://www.cogsci.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/Papers/Harnad/harnad82.consciousness.html
chapter: ~
commentary: ~
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creators_id: []
creators_name:
  - family: Harnad
    given: Stevan
    honourific: ''
    lineage: ''
date: 1982
date_type: published
datestamp: 2001-06-18
department: ~
dir: disk0/00/00/15/70
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eprint_status: archive
eprintid: 1570
fileinfo: /style/images/fileicons/text_html.png;/1570/1/harnad82.consciousness.html
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keywords: 'mind/body problem, consciousness, causality, cognitive medeling, qualia, epiphenomenalism, free will'
lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:54:40
latitude: ~
longitude: ~
metadata_visibility: show
note: ~
number: ~
pagerange: 29-47
pubdom: FALSE
publication: Cognition and Brain Theory
publisher: ~
refereed: TRUE
referencetext: |-
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  experience. Amsterdam: North Holland, 1978. 
  
  Eccles, J. C. (1978) A critical appraisal of brain-mind theories. In: Buser &
  Rougeul-Buser (1978, 347 - 355). 
  
  Fodor, J. A. (1975) The language of thought New York: Thomas Y. Crowell 
  
  Fodor, J. A. (1980) Methodological solipsism considered as a research strategy in
  cognitive psychology. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 3: 63 - 109. 
  
  Fodor, J. A. (1981) RePresentations. Cambridge MA: MIT/Bradford. 
  
  Fodor, J. A. (1985) Precis of The Modularity of Mind. Behavioral and Brain
  Sciences 8: 1 - 42. 
  
  Grunbaum, A. (1986) Précis of The foundations of psychoanalysis: A philosophical
  critique. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 9: 217-284. 
  
  Harnad, S. (1976) Induction, evolution and accountability. Annals of the N.Y.
  Academy of Sciences 280: 58-60. 
  
  Harnad, S. (1982a) Neoconstructivism: A unifying theme for the cognitive sciences.
  In T. Simon & R. Scholes, R. (Eds.) Language, mind and brain. Hillsdale, N.J.:
  Lawrence Erlbaum Associates 
  
  Harnad, S. (1982b) Metaphor and mental duality. In T. Simon & R. Scholes, R.
  (Eds.) Language, mind and brain. Hillsdale, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates 
  
  Harnad, S. (1982c) Consciousness: An afterthought. Cognition and Brain Theory 5:
  29 - 47. 
  
  Harnad, S. (1984) What are the scope and limits of radical behaviorist theory?
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  Harnad, S. R., Steklis, H.D. & Lancaster, J. (eds.) (1976) Origins and Evolution of
  Language and Speech. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 280. 
  
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  Research supp. 9: 420-429. 
  
  Libet, B. (1978) Neuronal vs. subjective timing for a conscious sensory experience.
  In: Buser & Rougeul-Buser (1978, 69 - 82). 
  
  Libet, B. (1985) Unconscious cerebral initiative and the role of conscious will in
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  MacKay, D. M. (1978) What determines my choice? In: Buser & Rougeul- Buser
  (1978, 335 - 346). 
  
  McClelland, J.L., Rumelhart, D. E., and the PDP Research Group (1986) 
  
  Popper, K. R., & Eccles, J. C. (1977) The self and its brain. Heidelberg: Springer,
  1977. 
  
  Rumelhart, D. E., McClelland, J.L., and the PDP Research Group (1986) Parallel
  distributed processing: Explorations in the microstructure of cognition, Volume 2.
  Cambridge MA: MIT/Bradford. 
  
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  721-724. 
  
  Steklis, H. D. & Harnad, S. R. (1976) From hand to mouth: Some critical stages in
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relation_type: []
relation_uri: []
reportno: ~
rev_number: 8
series: ~
source: ~
status_changed: 2007-09-12 16:38:44
subjects:
  - cog-psy
  - comp-sci-art-intel
  - phil-mind
succeeds: ~
suggestions: ~
sword_depositor: ~
sword_slug: ~
thesistype: ~
title: 'Consciousness: An afterthought'
type: journalp
userid: 63
volume: 5
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