The Nature of Phenomenal Qualities

非凡品质的本质

• 批准号: AH/G01258X/1
• 负责人: Paul Coates
• 金额: $ 47.26万
• 依托单位: University of Hertfordshire
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2009 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FG01258X%2F1
• 关键词: Nature; Phenomenal; Qualities

This project will explore issues connected with the exact nature of the phenomenal aspects of experience. In perceptual and related experiences subjects are aware of a range of phenomenal qualities: these are the colours, sounds, and so on, which are immediately present in conscious experience. There is currently broad-ranging debate about the reality and cognitive role of phenomenal qualities. There is no settled view about their status either as subjective - belonging to inner mental items of some kind - or as objective, dependent in some way upon the properties of the surrounding objects perceived. Nor is there agreement about the ultimate ontological status of phenomenal qualities, and how they are related to the entities postulated in our best current scientific explanations about the underlying structure of physical things. The research will seek to answer the following questions: (1) In what sense can we say that phenomenal qualities exist? What is the relation of phenomenal qualities to cognitive processes? Do they form a distinct component in consciousness, or do they, in some respects, parallel conceptual states as distinctive perceptual ways of representing facts about the world?(2) How are phenomenal qualities related to the mind? Where are phenomenal qualities located - are they subjective states of the experiencing subject? Or should phenomenal qualities, at least when they occur in normal perception, be understood as in some manner dependent on the objective properties of the external objects perceived?(3) What is the ultimate ontological nature of phenomenal qualities? How can we reconcile our current scientific theories about the real underlying physical nature of persons and objects with the existence of conscious experience and with the phenomenology of perception? Should we embrace a radical revision or extension of fundamental physics, as some theorists suggest?The research will be organised into four interconnected phases of enquiry: The first phase will consist of a series of seminars, extending over the course of two semesters, with papers from leading theorists in philosophy and cognitive science on the general topic of the nature and role of phenomenal qualities in perception and in hallucination. Concurrently, two PhD students, together with one post-doctoral researcher, will be engaged to research the nature of phenomenal qualities. It is planned that one of the doctoral researchers will focus on issues connected with the 'subjective dimension' of the problems, that is, on the implications of our subjective experience of phenomenal qualities for current versions of physicalism. The second doctoral researcher will focus on issues connected with the 'objective dimension' of the problems: on the phenomenology of perception, and the implications of theories of perception for questions concerning the underlying objective nature of the physical things we perceive. A web-site will be established, and suitable draft material from the seminar series will be placed online.The second phase will involve organising two workshops covering respectively the subjective and objective aspects of the general problem, in the second year of the project. The resulting material will be made available online, facilitating discussion and allowing for the generation of feedback on the research.The third phase will focus mainly upon the international conference, at the end of the final year, to which leading international theorists in this area will give papers. We also envisage the completion of 2 PhDs, the post-doctoral monograph, and refereed articles by each of the project's two investigators. The conference proceedings will be edited and submitted to OUP or other leading publisher.The final phase will see the dissemination of the research both in print, and where appropriate, online; and also the maintenance of the website to stimulate continuing research in this area.

这个项目将探讨与经验的现象方面的确切性质有关的问题。在知觉和相关的经验中，主体意识到一系列现象性质：这些是颜色、声音等等，它们直接存在于意识经验中。目前有广泛的辩论的现实和认知作用的现象素质。对于它们是主观的--属于某种内在的心理项目--还是客观的--在某种程度上取决于所感知的周围对象的属性，没有一个固定的观点。关于现象性质的终极本体论地位，以及它们如何与我们目前对物理事物底层结构的最佳科学解释中所假设的实体相关联，也没有达成一致。本研究将试图回答以下问题：（1）在什么意义上我们可以说现象品质存在？现象性质与认知过程的关系是什么？它们是否构成意识中的一个独特的组成部分，或者在某些方面，它们是平行的概念状态，作为表征世界事实的独特感知方式？(2)现象性的品质与心智有何关系？现象性的品质在哪里--它们是经验主体的主观状态吗？或者，现象性质，至少当它们发生在正常知觉中时，是否应该被理解为以某种方式依赖于所知觉的外部对象的客观属性？(3)现象性质的终极本体论性质是什么？我们如何才能使我们目前关于人和物体的真实的基本物理性质的科学理论与意识经验的存在和知觉现象学相协调呢？我们是否应该像一些理论家建议的那样，对基础物理学进行彻底的修改或扩展？研究将分为四个相互关联的调查阶段：第一阶段将包括一系列研讨会，在两个学期的课程中延伸，来自哲学和认知科学的主要理论家的论文，关于感知和幻觉中现象品质的性质和作用的一般主题。同时，两名博士生和一名博士后研究员将参与现象品质本质的研究。根据计划，其中一名博士研究人员将专注于与问题的“主观维度”有关的问题，即我们对现象质量的主观经验对当前物理主义版本的影响。第二位博士研究员将专注于与问题的“客观维度”相关的问题：感知现象学，以及感知理论对我们感知的物理事物的潜在客观本质问题的影响。将建立一个网站，并将研讨会系列的适当材料草稿放在网上。第二阶段将在项目的第二年举办两个讲习班，分别涉及一般问题的主观和客观方面。所产生的材料将在网上提供，以便利讨论，并允许对研究产生反馈，第三阶段将主要集中在最后一年年底的国际会议上，该领域的主要国际理论家将在会上发表论文。我们还设想完成2个博士学位，博士后专著，并由该项目的两名研究人员的每一篇参考文章。会议记录将被编辑并提交给牛津大学出版社或其他主要出版商。最后阶段将以印刷品和适当的在线方式传播研究成果;并维护网站，以促进这一领域的持续研究。