Abstract
Locke has been accused of failing to have a coherent understanding of consciousness, since it can be identical neither to reflection nor to ordinary perception without contradicting other important commitments. I argue that the account of consciousness is coherent once we see that, for Locke, perceptions of ideas are complex mental acts and that consciousness can be seen as a special kind of self-referential mental state internal to any perception of an idea.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 21-39 |
Journal | History of Philosophy Quarterly |
Volume | 25 |
Issue number | 1 |
State | Published - 2008 |
Keywords
- Consciousness
- Visual perception
- Sensation
- Perception theory
- Mind
- History of philosophy
- Mental acts