Detecting Introspective Errors in Consciousness Science
Detecting introspective errors about consciousness presents challenges that are widely supposed to be difficult, if not impossible, to overcome. This is a problem for consciousness science because many central questions turn on when and to what extent we should trust subjects’ introspective reports....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Michigan Publishing
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Ergo, An Open Access Journal of Philosophy |
| Online Access: | https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/ergo/article/id/7304/ |
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| _version_ | 1850267018755833856 |
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| author | Andy McKilliam |
| author_facet | Andy McKilliam |
| author_sort | Andy McKilliam |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Detecting introspective errors about consciousness presents challenges that are widely supposed to be difficult, if not impossible, to overcome. This is a problem for consciousness science because many central questions turn on when and to what extent we should trust subjects’ introspective reports. This has led some authors to suggest that we should abandon introspection as a source of evidence when constructing a science of consciousness. Others have concluded that central questions in consciousness science cannot be answered via empirical investigation. I argue that on closer inspection, the challenges associated with detecting introspective errors can be overcome. I demonstrate how natural kind reasoning—the iterative application of inference to the best explanation to home in on and leverage regularities in nature—can allow us to detect introspective errors even in difficult cases such as judgments about mental imagery, and I conclude that worries about intractable methodological challenges in consciousness science are misguided. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e311df47a41143f6afb94f60dbb58c2f |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2330-4014 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Michigan Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ergo, An Open Access Journal of Philosophy |
| spelling | doaj-art-e311df47a41143f6afb94f60dbb58c2f2025-08-20T01:53:57ZengMichigan PublishingErgo, An Open Access Journal of Philosophy2330-40142025-04-0112010.3998/ergo.7304Detecting Introspective Errors in Consciousness ScienceAndy McKilliam0Center for Traditional and Scientific Metaphysics, Department of Philosophy; Monash Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies, National Taiwan University; Monash UniversityDetecting introspective errors about consciousness presents challenges that are widely supposed to be difficult, if not impossible, to overcome. This is a problem for consciousness science because many central questions turn on when and to what extent we should trust subjects’ introspective reports. This has led some authors to suggest that we should abandon introspection as a source of evidence when constructing a science of consciousness. Others have concluded that central questions in consciousness science cannot be answered via empirical investigation. I argue that on closer inspection, the challenges associated with detecting introspective errors can be overcome. I demonstrate how natural kind reasoning—the iterative application of inference to the best explanation to home in on and leverage regularities in nature—can allow us to detect introspective errors even in difficult cases such as judgments about mental imagery, and I conclude that worries about intractable methodological challenges in consciousness science are misguided.https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/ergo/article/id/7304/ |
| spellingShingle | Andy McKilliam Detecting Introspective Errors in Consciousness Science Ergo, An Open Access Journal of Philosophy |
| title | Detecting Introspective Errors in Consciousness Science |
| title_full | Detecting Introspective Errors in Consciousness Science |
| title_fullStr | Detecting Introspective Errors in Consciousness Science |
| title_full_unstemmed | Detecting Introspective Errors in Consciousness Science |
| title_short | Detecting Introspective Errors in Consciousness Science |
| title_sort | detecting introspective errors in consciousness science |
| url | https://journals.publishing.umich.edu/ergo/article/id/7304/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT andymckilliam detectingintrospectiveerrorsinconsciousnessscience |