Muirhead Library Of Philosophy (95 Volumes): The Subject Of Consciousness (volume 90)

First published in 2002. This is Volume VI of seventeen in the Philosophy of Mind and Psychology series. Written in 1970, this work is an exercise in constructive philosophy, looking at the subject of consciousness and a theory offered as an explanation of self-awareness. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Original Title Page Original Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION [1] The distinction between awareness of self and knowledge of persons [2] Predilection of modern philosophy in direction of knowledge of persons [3] Theories of self and awareness of self 2. CONSCIOUSNESS 1. Problems of Existence and Meaning [1] It is shown that William James’s denial of consciousness is a rejection of a philosophical theory of consciousness and is no repudiation of consciousness itself [2] An argument centring on Ryle and Wisdom to show that there is a basic sense of consciousness [3] A rejection of the view that ‘consciousness’ is indefinable, followed by a proposed definition along the lines suggested 2. The Nature of the Concept [4] A comparison of the concepts ‘conscious’ and ‘colour’ to show a disanalogy which if not recognized leads to a false ‘mosaic’ view of consciousness [5] Rejection of the view that ‘consciousness’ stands for a common property of mental phenomena in favour of treating it as a polymorphous concept [6] The concept of consciousness gains its applicability through the existence of the reader 3. Sir William Hamilton and His Critics [7] Hamilton’s theory of consciousness [8] The attack on Hamilton’s Duality of Consciousness [9] The implications of the historical survey and the direction the self-approach must take [10] The view of Samuel Alexander presented as heading in the right direction [11] Conclusions presupposed in the analysis offered in succeeding chapters 3. ATTENTION 1. Consciousness and Change [1] The two dimensions of consciousness [2] TH. Ribot on the dependence of consciousness on change [3] A contrast between the theories of attention of James Ward and William James [4] Attention seen as the structuring of consciousness into foreground and background 2. Rejection of the Notion of an Attention-Free Consciousness [5] The presence of attention in a pure sensuous consciousness [6] Its presence in a state of reverie [7] Conclusions drawn from this study 3. The Varieties of Attention [8] Rejection of Ribot’s distinction between ‘spontaneous’ attention and ‘voluntary’ attention [9] The weaknesses in Hamilton’s theory of attention [10] The relation between ‘mere vital attention’ and ‘voluntary’ attention [11] ‘Unordered’ attention, ‘interrogative’ attention, and ‘executive’ attention: an alternative to the classifications offered 4. UNPROJECTED CONSCIOUSNESS 1. The Structure of Consciousness [1] Attention and unprojected consciousness viewed as complements [2] The character of unprojected consciousness 2. Unprojected Consciousness and Interrogative Attention [3] The logical character of ideational elements in mental preparedness [4] The question of the possibility of simultaneous attention to a number of objects [5] Answer given in terms of the notion of a ‘relevancy system’ [6] Ribot’s theory that attention demands the suspension of change shown to be a misconception which the notion of a relevancy system can overcome 3. Unprojected Consciousness and Executive Attention [7] The role of kinaesthetic sensation in executive attention [8] The logical status of physiological processes in attention 4. The Logical Dependence of Mental Images and Thoughts on Bodily Activity [9] A defence of Ribot’s theory that even innerdirected attention (reflection) is dependent on bodily activity [10] Arguments against the ‘phantom approach’ according to which the occurrence of mental imagery is logically independent of bodily activity [11] The alternative ‘sentient approach’ defended in terms of the notion of the ‘origin’ of a mental image [12] Utilization of the distinction between compatible and incompatible activities in support of the sentient approach [13] The most mental of all forms of reflection - the having of thoughts - held to be logically dependent on bodily activity 5. THE EXPERIENTIAL SELF 1. The Self as Unprojected Consciousness [1] The rationale of the theory [2] The elusiveness of the self explained [3] Rejection of the no-subject position 2. The Problems the Theory Solves [4] Consideration of James’s theory of the self [5] Explanation of the connection between bodily sensation and the self [6] Making of the self its own object only partially possible [7] Analysis of Ayer’s supplementation of James’s theory 3. Support from Unexpected Quarters [8] The loss of self in mystical ecstasy [9] Theories foreshadowing the one presented here 4. A Defence against Some Objections [10] Difficulties which the theory has to surmount [11] An answer to Strawson 6. YESTERDAY’S SELF 1. The Past of a Self and the Past of a Person [1] The manner in which this is a concern of the self-approach as distinct from a concern of the persons approach [2] Distinction between subjective time and objective time brought in to account for interruptions in consciousness 2. Awareness as a State and Attention as an Activity [3] The meaning I give to ‘awareness’ [4] The logical characteristics of verbs of perception and the relation between perceiving and awareness [5] The criteria of states and activities [6] The logic of ‘awareness’ and the logic of ‘attention’ 3. The Dependence of a Persisting Self on Sustaining Activity [7] The relation between attention and unprojected consciousness argued to demand a revision of Ryle’s adverbial theory of attention [8] Application to perceptual concepts of the distinction between states and activities [9] The continuous creation of the self 7. BODILY EXISTENCE [1] Selves and their bodily possibilities [2] Our kind of body [3] The point of contact between the selfapproach and the persons approach [4] Appeal to mental acts rendered unnecessary by the present theory INDEX Annotation In a society where a comic equates with knockabout amusment for children, the sudden pre-eminence of adult comics, on everything from political satire to erotic fantasy, has predictably attracted an enormous amount of attention. Adult comics are part of the cultural landscape in a way that would have been unimaginable a decade ago. In this first survey of its kind, Roger Sabin traces the history of comics for older readers from the end of the nineteenth century to the present. He takes in the pioneering titles pre-First World War, the underground 'comix' of the 1960s and 1970s, 'fandom' in the 1970s and 1980s, and the boom of the 1980s and 1990s (including 'graphic novels' and Viz.). Covering comics from the United States, Europe and Japan, Adult Comics addresses such issues as the graphic novel in context, cultural overspill and the role of women. By taking a broad sweep, Sabin demonstrates that the widely-held notion that comics 'grew up' in the late 1980s is a mistaken one, largely invented by the media. Adult Comics: An Introduction is intended primarily for student use, but is written with the comic enthusiast very much in mind