Jakub Mihálik: Consciousness in Nature. A Russellian Approach Abstract: This thesis attempts to provide a philosophical answer to the question of how phenomenal consciousness, or experience, can exist in the physical world, i.e. in the world as it is described by science. The thesis has three parts: In the first part (chapter 1) I explicate the concept of phenomenal consciousness and contrast it with other concepts of consciousness common in the literature. Moreover, I suggest that the project pursued in this thesis can be naturally viewed as a part of the more general project of trying to find a stereoscopic view of man, taken by Wilfrid Sellars to be a crucial task for contemporary philosophy. In the second part of the thesis (chapters 2 to 4) I offer a detailed evaluation of the attempts at a materialist reduction of consciousness. While in chapter 2 I explore and critique the approach of apriori physicalism (Dennett, Lewis, Rey, etc.), in chapters 3 and 4, I focus on the more recent doctrine of a posteriori physicalism and especially its most prominent variety called the phenomenal concept strategy (Loar, Papineau, Levin, Schroer, etc.). One problem with a posteriori physicalism is that, as Nida-Rümelin, Goff and others argue, the view cannot make sense of the plausible thesis that our phenomenal...

Thesis (MSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: We investigate the nuclei 20Ne, 44Ti, 94Mo, 136Te and 212Po using a model of an α-cluster orbiting a closed shell core. A purely phenomenological cluster-core potential is found to provide a successful description of the spectra, B(E2↓) transition strengths, and α-decay rates of the low-lying positive parity states of these nuclei. We then use the same potential as the real part of an optical model potential to describe the α elastic scattering by 16O, 40Ca, 90Zr and 208Pb. The experimental differential cross-section data are reasonably well reproduced with the imaginary potential depth as the only free parameter. The special case of the 8Be system is also analysed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ons ondersoek die kerne 20Ne, 44Ti, 94Mo, 136Te en 212Po deur gebruik te maak van ’n model waar ’n α-bondel om ’n kern met ’n geslote skil wentel. ’n Suiwer fenomenologiese bondelkern potentiaal is gevind wat die energie spektra, B(E2 ↓) oorgangs sterktes, en α-verval tempo vir laagliggende positiewe pariteitstoestande vir hierdie kerne beskryf. Ons gebruik dieselfde potentiaal as die reele deel van die optiese potentiaal om die alpha elastiese verstrooiing deur die kerne 16O, 40Ca, 90Zr en 208Pb te beskryf. Die eksperimentele differensiele kansvlak data word redelik goed gereprodukseer met slegs die imaginere potensiaal diepte as die enigste vrye parameter. Die spesiale geval van 8Be is ook ondersoek.

La présente recherche met en évidence un phénomène qui est le fond commun des manières d’apparaître analysées par la phénoménologie française contemporaine. Ce phénomène est mis en évidence par l’analyse des œuvres de Jean-Luc Marion, Mihel Henry et Emmanuel Lévinas. L’analyse de l’œuvre de Marion permet de définir la métaphysique : celle-ci considère que l’apparaître est nécessairement la prérogative d’un Je. Contre cette idée, la phénoménologie met en évidence un phénomène qui apparaît avant qu’un Je ne s’en reçoive. Ce qui se montre ainsi de soi-même est le phénoménal. C’est sur fond de ce phénoménal que la donation se déploie, et si la donation ne donne plus son contenu à l’apparaître, elle est déploiement des phases qui structurent la phénoménalité. L’analyse de l’œuvre de Henry permet de distinguer la manière d’apparaître du phénoménal de celle du Je. Le contenu de l’apparaître du phénoménal est identiquement sa manière d’apparaître, et en cela le phénoménal est affectivité. Mais cette affectivité est impersonnelle et se dit d’une foison de tonalités affectives. Elle doit donc être distinguée du fait de se sentir soi-même considéré en lui-même qu’est cette essence de l’affectivité où le Soi se saisit de son ipséité. L’analyse de l’œuvre de Lévinas permet de décrire le déploiement des phases de la phénoménalité en deux mouvements. Par un mouvement d’en-stase, l’essence de l’affectivité se distille du phénoménal. Par un mouvement d’extase, le gouffre de l’« il y a », l’idée d’infini et la distance phénoménologique s’évaporent du phénoménal. L’unité de ces deux mouvements contraires est nommée diastase, et cette diastase est comprise comme quête d’emphase. / This researh highlights a phenomenon that is the common bakground of the various modes of manifestation analysed by the french contemporary phenomenology. That phenomenon is highlighted by the analysis of the works of Jean-LucMarion, Mihel Henry and Emmanuel Levinas. The analysis of the works of Marion brings us to a definition of the metaphysics : it considers that the manifestation is always the prerogative of a subject. Against this idea, the phenomenology highlights a phenomenon that appears before any subject. The phenomenon that shows itself that way is the phenomenal. It’s on that that the donation spreads, and if that donation does not give its content to the manifestation, it is the deployment of the phases that structure the phenomenality. The analysis of the works of Henry brings us to a distinction between the way that the phenomenal appears and the way that the ego appears. The contents of the manifestation of the phenomenal is also its way of appearance, and in that sense, the phenomenal is affectivity. But that kind of affectivity is impersonal, and concerns an abundance of affective qualities. It must be distinguish from the fact to feel itself considered in itself whih is that essence of affectivity on whih the self seize its selfhood. The analysis of the works of Levinas allows a description of the deployment of the phases of the phenomenality in two movements. By a movement of enstasis, the essence of affectivity gets distilled from the phenomenal. By a movement of extasis, the gulf of the « there is », the idea of infinity, and the phenomenological distance, evaporates from the phenomenal. The unity of these two movements is called diastasis.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2017-07-04T11:33:40Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Cínthia Roso Oliveira_.pdf: 1706511 bytes, checksum: 1a1617a80917349cfb5347c0c3474a67 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-04T11:33:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cínthia Roso Oliveira_.pdf: 1706511 bytes, checksum: 1a1617a80917349cfb5347c0c3474a67 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-04-06 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / PROSUP - Programa de Suporte à Pós-Gradução de Instituições de Ensino Particulares / O objetivo desta tese é investigar se há uma relação mente-corpo e, se sim, como podemos caracterizá-la. No primeiro capítulo, investigamos em que sentido há um problema mente e corpo, pois se compreendermos que os conceitos mentais são confusos e podem ser eliminados, ou que são significativos, mas podem ser reduzidos às explicações dos processos físicos no corpo, não faz sentido dizer que há um problema mente-corpo. No entanto, os qualia são aspectos mentais que resistem à eliminação ou à redução. Além disso, se compreendermos que a ideia de causação é um princípio epistêmico e que não se refere, de fato, a coisas no mundo que se relacionam, investigar uma possível interferência metafísica da mente, em especial dos qualia, no corpo também não faria sentido. No segundo capítulo, investigamos possíveis explicações para a conexão psicofísica que faz com que a mente em geral, e os qualia em particular, pareça influenciar os nossos comportamentos. A perspectiva dualista substancial seria insatisfatória, dentre outros problemas, na medida em que a explicação de como se dá a conexão psicofísica depende da aceitação da existência de Deus, algo questionável. Investigamos, então, algumas propostas monistas que defendem uma perspectiva não-reducionista em relação aos eventos mentais. As perspectivas de Davidson e Chalmers mostram-se frágeis em explicar o poder causal dos eventos mentais e, embora Kim consiga evitar o problema do epifenomenismo, ele assume uma posição eliminativista quanto aos qualia, o que não resolveria o problema. No terceiro capítulo, procuramos avaliar em que sentido a perspectiva não-reducionista de David Bohm sobre a relação mente-corpo conseguiria responder ao problema do epifenomenismo. Para ele, os aspectos mental e material existem um em participação com o outro na realidade e aí está a base da compreensão do ‘poder causal do mental’, que, como potencial atividade da informação, tem o poder de permitir que uma informação ativa nova atualize-se, alterando o seu aspecto material. A partir dessa perspectiva, pode-se compreender a consciência fenomênica como um tipo de ordem implícita muito sutil e complexa, que pode emergir de ordens implícitas menos sutis, as quais apresentam aspecto quase-mental. No quarto capítulo, argumentamos que a participação mente-corpo pode ser considerada uma conexão causal, compreendendo-a como uma categoria de causação, que estabelece um vínculo particular entre duas coisas, o que seria compatível com a novidade qualitativa que existe na ação humana. Neste capítulo ainda, defendemos que a perspectiva de Bohm sobre a participação mente-matéria na informação ativa pode ser compreendida como uma interação entre as quatro causas: formal, final, eficiente e material. As quatro funcionam como uma causação única, modificando-se a si mesma enquanto outra. E isso explicaria a capacidade que os seres humanos têm de automodificarem-se e, consequentemente, o poder causal dos qualia de interferir no comportamento humano. Por fim, no quinto capítulo, argumentamos que o ser humano pode ser compreendido como um sistema complexo que se auto-organiza mediante as suas relações com o mundo. Estabelecemos a relação entre a autocausação no sistema humano como um tipo de auto-organização secundária (de acordo com Debrun), que pressupõe a recriação de sua própria forma. Sustentamos, ademais, que a relação entre os diversos níveis hierárquicos de organização no ser humano dá-se por causação circular, na qual as partes interferem no todo, e ele, por sua vez, retroage sobre as partes, permitindo a emergência de novas propriedades. Além disso, esclarecemos que só podemos compreender a participação mente e corpo no ser humano como uma auto-organização de um sistema complexo em um mundo. Consideramos que também, entre o ser humano e o mundo (este compreendido como um ambiente natural e cultural, que inclui diversos sistemas, inclusive, outros seres humanos), há causação circular, dentre vários outros tipos de determinação. Portanto, a resposta apresentada para o problema mente-corpo é que a mente, incluindo os qualia, não pode ser reduzida aos processos físicos do corpo. A consciência fenomênica, como aspecto mental por excelência, refere-se à subjetividade da experiência do ser humano no mundo; só ele pode saber o que ele sente com as suas experiências e como as sente. Esse nível fenomênico emergiria de um nível protofenomênico, no qual já há um aspecto mental (quase-mental) compreendido como potencial atividade da informação, considerado como uma interação das causas eficiente, formal e final, que, ao interagirem com a causa material, aspecto material (atual atividade da informação), produzem uma mudança em si mesmos qua outro. Essa compreensão do aspecto mental como potencial atividade da informação permite compreender o poder causal do aspecto mental e como o nível fenomênico emerge dos níveis protofenomênicos da realidade, os qualia, aspectos mentais de sistemas complexos como o ser humano, podem ser compreendidos como exibindo um poder causal sobre o corpo. / The purpose of this thesis is to investigate whether there is a mind-body relationship and, if so, how we can characterize it. In the first chapter we investigate in what sense there is a mind-body problem, for if we understand that mental concepts are confusing and can be eliminated, or that they are significant, but can be reduced to the explanations of physical processes in the body, it does not make sense to say that there is a mind-body problem. However, qualia are mental aspects that resist elimination or reduction. Furthermore, if we understand that the idea of causation is an epistemic principle and does not actually refer to things in the world, investigating a possible interference of mind, especially of qualia, into body would also make no sense. In the second chapter, we investigate possible explanations for the psychophysical connection that makes mind in general, and qualia in particular, seem to influence our behaviors. Substantial dualistic perspective would be unsatisfactory, among other problems, insofar as the explanation of how the psychophysical connection takes place depends on accepting the existence of God, which is something questionable. We then investigate some monistic proposals that advocate a non-reductionist perspective on mental events. The perspectives of Davidson and Chalmers are fragile in explaining the causal power of mental events; and although Kim is able to avoid the problem of epiphenomenalism, he assumes an eliminativist position on qualia, which would not solve the problem. In the third chapter, we tried to evaluate in what sense David Bohm’s non-reductionist perspective on the mind-body relationship could answer to the problem of epiphenomenalism. For him, the mental and material aspects exist in participation with each other in reality, and therein lies the basis of the understanding of the ‘causal power of the mental’, which, as a potential activity of information, has the power to allow active information update itself by changing its material aspect. From this perspective, we can comprehend the phenomenal consciousness as a very subtle and complex sort of implicate order, that may emerge from less subtle implicate orders which have a mind-like aspect. In the fourth chapter, we argue that mind-body participation can be considered a causal connection, understanding it as a category of causation that establishes a particular link between two things, which would be compatible with the qualitative novelty that exists in human action. In this chapter we further argue that Bohm’s perspective on mind-matter participation in active information can be understood as an interaction between the four causes: formal, final, efficient, and material. They function as a single causation, modifying itself as being another. And this would explain the ability of humans to self-cause and, consequently, the causal power of qualia to interfere with human behavior. Finally, in the fifth chapter, we argue that the human being can be understood as a complex system that organizes itself through its relations with the world. We establish the relation between self-causation in the human system as a kind of secondary self-organization (according to Debrun), which presupposes the re-creation of its own form. We maintain that the relationship between the various hierarchical levels of organization in the human being occur by circular causation in which the parts interfere in the whole, and this, in turn, retroacts on the parts, allowing the emergence of new properties. In addition, we clarify that we can only understand the mind-body participation in the human being as a self-organization of a complex system in a world. We also consider that there is circular causation, among other types of determination, between the human being and the world (understood as a natural and cultural environment that includes several systems, besides other human beings). So the answer presented to the mind-body problem is that the mind, including qualia, cannot be reduced to the physical processes of the body. The phenomenal consciousness, as the mental aspect par excellence, refers to the subjectivity of the experience of human beings in the world; only one can know what and how they feel with their experiences. This phenomenal level would emerge from a protophenomenal level, in which there is already a mental (mind-like) aspect understood as a potential activity of information, considered as an efficient, formal and final interaction of causes, that when interacting with material cause, material aspect (actual active information), produces a change in oneself qua another. This understanding of the mental aspect as a potential activity of information enables us to understand the causal power of the mental aspect and as the phenomenal level emerges from the protophenomenal levels of reality, the qualia, mental aspect of complex systems like human beings, can be understood as exhibiting a causal power over the body.

This dissertation concerns the location and nature of phenomenal qualities. Arguably, these qualities naively seem to belong to perceived external objects. However, we also seem to experience phenomenal qualities in hallucinations, and in hallucinations we do not perceive any external objects. I present and argue for a theory of the phenomenal qualities, "brain theory", which claims that all phenomenal qualities we experience are physical properties instantiated in the brain, regardless of whether they are experienced in veridical perceptions or in hallucinations. I begin by more carefully identifying the phenomenal qualities, discussing how they are related to "qualia" and "phenomenal character". Then I present brain theory, and investigate its implications for the perceptual relations we stand in to external objects, noting that it is mostly neutral. I also compare brain theory to a similar theory of perception advocated by Bertrand Russell. Next, I provide an overview over the competing theories of phenomenal qualities, and relate them to theories of perception, such as representationalism, qualia theory, sense data theory and disjunctivism. The majority of my argumentation for brain theory focuses on arguing that the phenomenal qualities are instantiated in the brain, rather than on arguing that they are physical properties. Instead, I largely assume physicalism. However, even independently of the physicalism assumption, I show that we have reason to believe that phenomenal qualities are experienced in hallucinations, and that qualities experienced in hallucinations are instantiated in internal objects, such as our brains or sense data. In the first step towards this conclusion I argue that theories which deny that phenomenal qualities are experienced in hallucinations face serious problems. In the next step I argue that theories which deny that phenomenal qualities experienced in hallucinations are instantiated in internal objects face serious problems. Finally, an important part of the argumentation is my replies to objections against brain theory, including common sense objections and the "observation objection". From these conclusions, together with the physicalism assumption, I infer that we have reason to believe that brain theory is true about hallucinations. On this basis, I then argue, through a generalizing argument, that the same is the case for veridical perceptions.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:13:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2386.pdf: 851942 bytes, checksum: a137f2593cd315e44d7d576e088daf49 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-04-06 / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais / The Gestalt Theory, which foundations are erected by the ideas of Köhler, Koffka and Wertheimer, has as main purpose the reestablishment of the bond between science and life. The notion of Gestalt, thought as an entity that has meaning and value as intrinsic characteristics, is the key of this enterprise. Starting from the phenomenological thesis , the defense that the conceptual understanding demands going back to the data of the direct experience, the gestaltists find in their basic category the possibility of a conception of nature that surpasses the consequences of the materialism, that is, the reduction of the most important features of the human mind to mere subjective illusion. The presence of significant configurations in the early perceptive processes, in thought and in the theoretical entities of physical science, will support the proposal of a Science that, when exceeding the life world, will not discard its more important characteristics, that is, its intelligible relations, based in the intrinsic characteristics of the parts of a totality. At the same time, however, the gestaltists defend a dualism between the phenomenal world, known directly, and the transphenomenal world, which is known only indirectly - it's constructed in the interaction between the scientific theory and the facts collected by the experiments. This dualism results in the "naturalism" in the Gestalt Theory, of which the isomorphism hypothesis is the better expression. Such naturalism is the main target of the critics from the philosophical phenomenology (Husserl and Merleau-Ponty). We are to show that the defense of the physical world as an reality appart from the consciousness corresponds to an assumption supported by the direct experience, as is demanded by the phenomenological thesis. In the transphenomenal transcendence experience", we find the transphenomenal term as condition of meaning of the phenomenal term, therefore, the phenomenological argument that would give meaning to transphenomenality . We can point as contributions of our research the understanding of the epistemological dualism of Gestalt Theory, as well as the survey of questions directed to the phenomenological philosophy. / A Teoria da Gestalt, cujos fundamentos são erigidos no intercâmbio entre as idéias de Köhler, Koffka e Wertheimer, tem como objetivo principal o restabelecimento do vínculo entre a ciência e a vida humana. A noção de Gestalt, pensada como uma entidade da qual o sentido e o valor são características intrínsecas, constitui-se como a chave desse empreendimento. Partindo da tese fenomenológica , da defesa de que a elucidação conceitual exige o retorno aos dados da experiência direta, os gestaltistas encontram em sua categoria fundamental a possibilidade de uma concepção de natureza que supere as conseqüências do materialismo, isto é, a redução da riqueza da mente humana à mera ilusão subjetiva. A presença de configurações significativas tanto nos processos perceptivos primordiais, como na atividade do pensamento e nas entidades teóricas da ciência física, sustentará a proposição de uma Ciência que, ao ultrapassar o mundo da experiência humana, não descartará suas características mais relevantes, isto é, suas relações inteligíveis, baseadas nas características intrínsecas das partes de uma totalidade. Ao mesmo tempo, entretanto, os gestaltistas defendem um dualismo insuperável entre um mundo fenomenal, conhecido diretamente, e uma natureza transfenomenal, cognoscível apenas por meios indiretos construídos na interação entre a teoria científica e os fatos levantados nas experimentações. Trata-se do naturalismo presente na Teoria da Gestalt, do qual a hipótese do isomorfismo é a expressão mais evidente. Tal naturalismo constitui-se como o alvo principal das críticas da escola filosófica fenomenológica (Husserl e Merleau-Ponty). Procuramos mostrar que a defesa do mundo físico como realidade exterior à consciência, mais do que um simples prejuízo realista, corresponde a uma suposição apoiada pela própria experiência direta, como exige a tese fenomenológica dos gestaltistas. Na experiência da transcendência transfenomenal , encontramos a presença de um termo transfenomenal como condição de sentido do termo fenomenal, portanto, o argumento fenomenológico que daria sentido à transfenomenalidade . Podemos apontar como contribuições de nossa pesquisa a elucidação do dualismo epistemológico da Teoria da Gestalt, bem como o levantamento de questões para a própria filosofia fenomenológica.

Depuis une décennie, les études sur la pensée de Brentano connaissent un souffle de renouveau. De sa doctrine, on retient le fameux thème de l'intentionnalité qui a soulevé un certain nombre de discussions sur ce que signifie réellement ce concept et ce que Brentano a voulu dire lorsqu'il l'a réintroduit. Dans la philosophie contemporaine, le passage en question qui décrit ce concept l'interprète le plus souvent comme la marque d'une irréductibilité du mental au physique, l'idée qu'il existerait un idiome ou vocable particulier pour décrire les états mentaux et l'esprit en général (intensionnalité). Récemment dans les contributions en philosophie de l'esprit, sa conception de l'esprit a connu un accueil favorable qui se distingue nettement de la première reception de son concept d'intentionnalité dans la philosophie du langage. D'une manière significative, sa théorie de la conscience s'est vu associée à différentes conceptions rivales de l'esprit : théories d'ordre supérieur, autoreprésentationnalisme et différentes autres variétés de représentationnalisme et d'intentionnalisme qui se réclame d'un aspect ou un autre de la conception de l'esprit de Brentano. L'objectif de cette thèse est d'explorer le thème du néo-brentanisme en identifiant dans la littérature contemporaine les théories dîtes "néobrentaniennes". / The famous intentionality quote from Brentano's Psychology from an Empirical Standpoint gave rise to many different glosses on how to understand what is meant by intentionality. Since Chisholm, Quine, and Davidson, the passage has often been referred to as making a claim about the irreducibility of the mental to the physical, turning Brentano's thesis that intentionality is the mark of the mental into a thesis about the peculiar idiom or vocabulary of the mental – a thesis about intensionality. However, in recent contributions to the philosophy of mind, the reception of Brentano's philosophy of mind has departed to a large extent from this first reception of the intentionality thesis. Interestingly, his conception of intentionality and consciousness has been integrated into diverse and sometimes competing accounts of the mind: higher-order theories of consciousness, self-representational accounts and varieties of representationalism and intentionalism often relate to Brentano's conception of the mind. The goal of this thesis is to explore neo-brentanian's subject identifying the neo-brentanian theories of mind and consciousness.

Cette thèse concerne la nature de la conscience émotionnelle et son rôle dans l’autisme. L’hypothèse principale concerne les particularités autistiques à propos des émotions propres : les autistes auraient un accès plus « cognitif » à la conscience de leurs émotions par rapport aux neurotypiques, dont la conscience des émotions se fait plutôt sur la base de données phénoménales. Une hypothèse secondaire concerne les liens entre ces particularités et l’ensemble de celles qui concernent la vie émotionnelle des autistes : cette particularité concernant la conscience émotionnelle serait un facteur favorisant la présence d’anxiété et d’alexithymie dans l’autisme, ainsi que la dysrégulation émotionnelle. Elle serait aussi à l’origine des particularités de reconnaissance émotionnelle de l’autisme. Le premier chapitre présente l’état de la recherche en psychologie concernant les particularités émotionnelles dans l’autisme. Les chapitres 2 et 3 visent à donner des définitions opérationnelles aux notions de « conscience » et d’« émotions ». Le dernier chapitre propose une interprétation des résultats présentés dans le chapitre 1, à la lumière des distinctions terminologiques des chapitres 2 et 3. Cette interprétation est l’hypothèse principale mentionnée : les émotions des neurotypiques accèdent à la conscience avant tout et la plupart du temps par un accès phénoménal, c’est-à-dire que ce sont les éléments subjectifs de l’émotion qui accèdent à la conscience. Chez les autistes, c’est plutôt un mode d’accès cognitif qui permet à leurs émotions de parvenir à la conscience : ce sont donc davantage les éléments objectifs et descriptifs de l’émotion qui parviennent à la conscience. / My thesis is about emotional consciousness and its function in autism. The main hypothesis is about the particularities of autistic people’s own emotions: autistic people would mainly have a “cognitive access’ to the consciousness of their emotions while neurotypical people’s emotional consciousness would appear thanks to phenomenal data. A secondary hypothesis is about the relationship between these particularities and the particularities of emotional lives of autistic people: the particularity of emotional consciousness would foster anxiety, alexithymia, and emotional dysregulation, which are observed in autism. It would also be the source of particularities of emotion recognition in autism. The first chapter presents the results of studies in psychology about emotion particularities in autism. Chapter 2 and 3 give operational definitions of “consciousness” and “emotions”. The last chapter proposes an interpretation of the results of chapter 1, in the light of the terminological distinctions given in chapter 2 and 3. This interpretation is the main hypothesis just mentioned: neurotypical people’s emotions access consciousness above all and most of the time thanks to a phenomenal access, that is to say that the subjective components of emotions access consciousness. In autism, it is rather a cognitive access mode that allows their emotions to access consciousness: objective and descriptive components access consciousness.

Le « problème difficile » de la conscience (Chalmers 1996) ou la question de pourquoi nos états mentaux sont dotés d’une certaine qualité subjective met en évidence l’existence d’un « écart explicatif » (Levine 1983) entre l'expérience vécue du sujet et les structures physiques et fonctionnelles du cerveau (ou de l’organisme dans son ensemble). Parmi les plusieurs solutions envisagées pour le trancher, le monisme neutre s’érige comme une option attirante entre les extrêmes du physicalisme et le dualisme. Dérivé initialement de la pensée de Bertrand Russell (1927), le monisme neutre part d’une simple constatation : dans notre conception scientifique de la matière, il y a un écart conceptuel important entre le rôle causal qu’on lui reconnait, et ses propriétés intrinsèques, fondamentales, qu’on ignore complètement. En d’autres mots, on sait que la matière se comporte de telle ou telle façon, mais on ne comprend pas pourquoi il en est ainsi. En ce sens, la nature fondamentale de la matière ne serait ni de l’ordre physique ni de l’ordre mental, mais quelque chose de neutre duquel émergeraient les propriétés physiques et mentales. L‘objectif de notre mémoire est d’expliquer en détail les antécédents, l’origine, le développement, l’évolution et les perspectives de cette solution en la comparant, notamment, avec d’autres postures monistes et neutralistes. Au passage, nous allons aussi évaluer certaines des objections qui ont été formulées à son égard. On s’attardera enfin sur quelques formulations contemporaines inspirées de la thèse russellienne dans le but de réfléchir sur leur plausibilité. / The “hard problem” of consciousness (Chalmers 1996) or the question on why our mental states are endowed with a certain subjective quality renders evident the existence of an “explanatory gap” (Levine 1983) between the experience lived by the subject and the brain’s physical and functional structures (or the organism’s altogether). Among the many solutions devised to solve it, Neutral Monism stands as an appealing alternative between the extremes of physicalism and dualism. Initially derived from Bertrand Russell’s thought (1927), Neutral Monism departs from this starting fact: within our scientific conception of matter, there is an important conceptual gap between the causal role thereof and its hitherto unknown intrinsic, fundamental properties. In other words, we know that matter behaves in such and such a way, but we do not know why it is so. In the light of these facts, the fundamental nature of matter is neither physical nor mental, but it identifies to a neutral stuff from which would emerge both the physical and mental properties. In that sense, this research focuses on spelling out the antecedents, origin, development, evolution and prospects of this solution, comparing it with other monist and neutralist positions. As research develops, we shall assess some of the objections raised against it. Finally, we shall consider some contemporary formulations inspired by the Russellian thesis in order to reflect upon their plausibility.

Cette thèse se concentre sur un phénomène introspectif que j’appelle introspection primitive. L’introspection primitive est un type d’introspection d’états phénoménaux qui est non classificatoire : quand on introspecte primitivement, on ne reconnaît pas l’état phénoménal introspecté comme un exemple de type d’expérience précédemment rencontrée. Je défends principalement trois thèses sur l’introspection primitive. Premièrement, elle existe : il y a un phénomène mental qui a les caractéristiques que j’attribue à l’introspection primitive et un tel phénomène est un processus introspectif réel. Deuxièmement, sa nature est plus adéquatement expliquée par une version de la théorie de l’accointance – ce que j’appelle la théorie de l’intégration. Troisièmement, elle a une valeur épistémique : elle permet au sujet d’acquérir une connaissance de ses états phénoménaux. Cette connaissance est un type de connaissance sui generis : la connaissance par accointance. La connaissance par accointance a une propriété épistémique spéciale qui est, pourrait-on dire, analogue à l’infaillibilité : elle donne au sujet un saisi complet et parfait de la phénoménologie de son expérience. / This dissertation focuses on an introspective phenomenon that I call primitive introspection. Primitive introspection is a non-classificatory kind of phenomenal-state introspection: it is a kind of phenomenal-state introspection that does not involve recognizing the introspected phenomenal state as an instance of any experience type. I defend three main claims about primitive introspection. First, it exists: there is a mental phenomenon that has the features I attribute to primitive introspection and such a phenomenon is a fullfledged introspective process. Second, its nature is best accounted for by a version of the acquaintance theory—what I call the integration account. Third, it has a distinct epistemic value: it provides the subject with knowledge of their phenomenal states. Such knowledge is a sui generis kind of knowledge: knowledge by acquaintance. Knowledge by acquaintance displays a distinctive epistemic property which is somewhat analogous to infallibility: it provides the subject with a complete and perfect grasp of the phenomenology of their experience.