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Full Idea
You can't have consciousness until you have the concept of consciousness.
Gist of Idea
Does consciousness need the concept of consciousness?
Source
Daniel C. Dennett (Brainchildren [1998], Ch.6)
Book Ref
Dennett,Daniel C.: 'Brainchildren' [Penguin 1998], p.128
A Reaction
If you read enough Dennett this begins to sound vaguely plausible, but next day it sounds like an absurd claim. 'You can't see a tree until you have the concept of a tree?' When do children acquire the concept of consciousness? Are apes non-conscious?
| 2526 | Philosophers regularly confuse failures of imagination with insights into necessity [Dennett] |
| 2523 | That every mammal has a mother is a secure reality, but without foundations [Dennett] |
| 2525 | Maybe language is crucial to consciousness [Dennett] |
| 2527 | Unconscious intentionality is the foundation of the mind [Dennett] |
| 2524 | A language of thought doesn't explain content [Dennett] |
| 2530 | Could a robot be made conscious just by software? [Dennett] |
| 2528 | Does consciousness need the concept of consciousness? [Dennett] |
| 2529 | Maybe there can be non-conscious concepts (e.g. in bees) [Dennett] |