Seminario Internacional con Myrto Mylopoulos

Myrto Mylopoulos (PhD, CUNY Graduate Center) is Associate Professor at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. She is an expert on consciousness, action, and skill, and has collaborated with philosophers and scientists on numerous projects related to these topics. In addition, she has published dozens of papers in top journals such as Analysis, Philosophical Studies, and Mind & Language.

The higher-order approach to consciousness

The higher-order approach to consciousness is committed to the core claim that what it is to be in a conscious mental state is to be aware of oneself as being in that state by way of a suitable higher-order state (or meta-representation). In this talk, the theoretical merits of this approach and its varietals will be explored. First, the central motivations and reasons for adopting this approach over the competing first-order approach to consciousness, which denies that meta-representation is required for one to be in a conscious state will be outlined. Next, a distinction will be made among a number of different versions of this approach that have emerged from recent theorizing, and their respective virtues and drawbacks will be discussed.  Finally, it will be examined how the higher-order approach can help us make progress on difficult questions relating to the nature of phenomenal consciousness, the function of consciousness, and the presence of consciousness in non-human animals and artificial systems.