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Two Unities of Consciousness
Author(s) -
Schechter Elizabeth
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
european journal of philosophy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.42
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1468-0378
pISSN - 0966-8373
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0378.2010.00439.x
Subject(s) - consciousness , possession (linguistics) , stream of consciousness (narrative mode) , psychology , epistemology , cognitive science , sociology , philosophy , linguistics , narrative
This paper argues for a distinction between possession of a unified consciousness and possession of a single stream of consciousness. Although the distinction has widespread applicability in discussions of the structure of consciousness and of pathologies of conscious experience, I will illustrate its importance primarily using the debate about consciousness in split‐brain subjects, suggesting that those who have argued that split‐brain subjects have two streams of consciousness apiece and those who have argued that they have a unified consciousness may both be right.