| I | WHAT IS CONSCIOUSNESS? |
THE APPEARANCE AND REALITY OF CONSCIOUSNESS
The purpose of metaphysical investigations is to resolve which kinds of things are real and exist in the world. Now, consciousness is a tricky subject for such inquiry, because by definition, what we have in conscious experience is often labeled as “mere appearance.” This appearance is contrasted with what “really” exists in the world, beyond appearances, thus implying that conscious experience enjoys a mode of existence not quite deserving to be named “real.” But how should we understand the claim that conscious experience is not real? What could it possibly mean? If we take the claim at face value, it seems to flatly deny that ...
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