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Full Idea
All the work done by the imagined homunculus in the Cartesian Theater must be distributed among various lesser agencies in the brain, none of which is conscious.
Clarification
A homunculus is a little man
Gist of Idea
The work done by the 'homunculus in the theatre' must be spread amongst non-conscious agencies
Source
Daniel C. Dennett (Sweet Dreams [2005], Ch.3)
Book Ref
Dennett,Daniel C.: 'Sweet Dreams' [MIT 2005], p.69
A Reaction
Dennett's account crucially depends on consciousness being much more fragmentary than most philosophers claim it to be. It is actually full of joints, which can come apart. He may be right.
| 7654 | What matters about neuro-science is the discovery of the functional role of the chemistry [Dennett] |
| 7655 | The work done by the 'homunculus in the theatre' must be spread amongst non-conscious agencies [Dennett] |
| 7656 | I don't deny consciousness; it just isn't what people think it is [Dennett] |
| 7657 | Intelligent agents are composed of nested homunculi, of decreasing intelligence, ending in machines [Dennett] |
| 7658 | Obviously there can't be a functional anaylsis of qualia if they are defined by intrinsic properties [Dennett] |