Some Recent Developements in the Neurobiology of Consciousness

Abstract

Consciousness is an ill-defined philosophical and psychological concept which has been traditionally eschewed by biology and by the neurosciences in particular. The difficulty to identify objective behavioral criteria for consciousness, the diffidence against introspection as a reliable means of scientific knowledge, and the separation between conscious and unconscious processes as a threat to the concept of the unity of the living organism are all factors that have acted as deterrents to a biological approach to consciousness. [...]