No description available.

In this thesis I explore and defend physicalism—the view that there is ‘nothing over and above’ the physical. Part of the challenge for physicalists is to make this slogan precise. They should provide a plausible account of the relation that everything must stand in to the physical in order for nothing to be ‘over and above’ it, as well as a reasonable characterization of ‘the physical’ itself. I elaborate and defend a common physicalist understanding of the ‘nothing over and above’ relation in terms of ‘global metaphysical supervenience,’ and introduce a novel strategy for characterizing the physical that sidesteps the most powerful objection to a ‘future physics’ definition of the physical—what Jessica Wilson (2006) has dubbed ‘the inappropriate extension worry.’ I then explore and respond to David Chalmers’ (1996) ‘zombie argument’ against physicalism, and Ned Block’s (2007) ‘overflow’ argument against the physicalist view of consciousness which I favour.

Title page, table of contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University of Adelaide Library. / This study looks at one of the most problematic intuitions we have concerning consciousness which is that the only way to know what an experience is like is to have the experience. The aim is to develop an account of the facts that are represented in colour experience on which there are physical facts that we can represent only by having colour experiences. It is concluded that it is possible for there to be physical facts which we can know only via experience. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1283742 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Humanities, 2007

Title page, table of contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University of Adelaide Library. / This study looks at one of the most problematic intuitions we have concerning consciousness which is that the only way to know what an experience is like is to have the experience. The aim is to develop an account of the facts that are represented in colour experience on which there are physical facts that we can represent only by having colour experiences. It is concluded that it is possible for there to be physical facts which we can know only via experience. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1283742 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Humanities, 2007

Thesis (B.A.Hons. 1977) from the Department of History, University of Adelaide.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Case Western Reserve University, 2009 / Title from PDF (viewed on 30 July 2009) Department of English Includes abstract Includes bibliographical references Available online via the OhioLINK ETD Center

Theses--Berlin. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Wisconsin. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-110).

This thesis seeks to answer the following question: “could a machine be capable of consciousness?” I begin to tackle this question by providing a presumed definition of consciousness, employing Bernard Baars’ Global Workspace Theory. Next, I look to various discussions of machine intelligence and whether or not this would be sufficient for categorizing a machine as conscious. And lastly, I explore the notion that the human brain may be a sort of computational system itself and the implications this notion has for the potential that non-human systems may achieve consciousness. Through these sections, I ultimately conclude that a machine could potentially mimic the cognitive systems of the human brain that produce consciousness (at least insofar as these systems and consciousness itself are defined by Global Workspace Theory). And therefore, a machine could indeed be capable of consciousness.

This study is about how a social consciousness is made visible in the paintings and drawings of two artists who have in common an urge to examine the human condition in the context of traumatic social and political circumstances. Their prime concern is with the eternal complexities between the individual and society. Pessimism, hope, anger, frustration and guilt reside in their images. This thesis explores how their social consciousness is expressed through the unique pictorial devices that each creates. It examines their biographies and the social and political milieu influencing their work; it explores their perceptions through the examination of the particular themes and devices that they developed as visual language. These influences lead to the examination of my own artistic practice, exploring the connection between my social consciousness and my pictorial language. / Master of Arts (Hons.)