Attentional structure and phenomenal unity
- Some authors argue that phenomenal unity can be grounded in the attentional structure of consciousness, which endows conscious states with at least a foreground and a background. Accordingly, the phenomenal character of part of a conscious state comprises a content aspect (e.g., hearing music) and a structural aspect (e.g., being in the background). This view presents the concern that such a structure does not bring about phenomenal unity, but phenomenal segregation, since the background is separated from the foreground. I argue that attention can still lead to a form of phenomenal unity that connects the foreground with the background. Experiencing oneself as controlling the focus of attention can, at least occasionally, bring about an experienced connection between the attentional foreground and the attentional background of a conscious experience.
| Author: | Wanja WieseORCiDGND |
|---|---|
| URN: | urn:nbn:de:hbz:294-99185 |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2022-0197 |
| Parent Title (English): | Open philosophy |
| Publisher: | De Gruyter |
| Place of publication: | Berlin |
| Document Type: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Date of Publication (online): | 2023/05/25 |
| Date of first Publication: | 2022/02/21 |
| Publishing Institution: | Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universitätsbibliothek |
| Tag: | Open Access Fonds attention; consciousness; phenomenalunity |
| Volume: | 5 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| First Page: | 254 |
| Last Page: | 264 |
| Note: | Article Processing Charge funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the Open Access Publication Fund of Ruhr-Universität Bochum. |
| Institutes/Facilities: | Institut für Philosophie II |
| Dewey Decimal Classification: | Philosophie und Psychologie / Philosophie |
| open_access (DINI-Set): | open_access |
| faculties: | Fakultät für Philosophie und Erziehungswissenschaft |
| Licence (English): |  Creative Commons - CC BY 4.0 - Attribution 4.0 International |
