Perplexities of Consciousness (Life and Mind: Philosophical Issues in Biology and Psychology)

Do you dream in color? If you answer Yes, how can you be sure? Before you recount your vivid memory of a dream featuring all the colors of the rainbow, consider that in the 1950s researchers found that most people reported dreaming in black and white. In the 1960s, when most movies were in color and more people had color television sets, the vast majority of reported dreams contained color. The most likely explanation for this, according to the philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel, is not that exposure to black-and-white media made people misremember their dreams. It is that we simply don't know whether or not we dream in color. In __Perplexities of Consciousness__, Schwitzgebel examines various aspects of inner life (dreams, mental imagery, emotions, and other subjective phenomena) and argues that we know very little about our stream of conscious experience. Drawing broadly from historical and recent philosophy and psychology to examine such topics as visual perspective, and the unreliability of introspection, Schwitzgebel finds us singularly inept in our judgments about conscious experience. Do you dream in color? If you answer Yes, how can you be sure? Before you recount your vivid memory of a dream featuring all the colors of the rainbow, consider that in the 1950s, researchers found that most people reported dreaming in black and white. In the 1960s@2014when most movies were in color and more people had color television sets@2014the vast majority of reported dreams contained color. The most likely explanation for this, according to philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel, is not that exposure to black-and-white media made people misremember their dreams. It is that we simply don@2019t know whether or not we dream in color. In Perplexities of Consciousness, Schwitzgebel examines various aspects of inner life@2014dreams, mental imagery, emotions, and other subjective phenomena@2014and argues that we know very little about our stream of conscious experience. In fact, he contends, we are prone to gross error about our ongoing emotional, visual, and cognitive experiences. Western philosophical tradition is nearly unanimous on the accuracy of our knowledge or current conscious experience. Schwitzgebel is skeptical. Drawing broadly from historical and recent philosophy and psychology to examine such topics as visual perspective, human echolocation (about which he is doubtful), and the unreliability of introspection even about emotional states (do we really enjoy Christmas? a family dinner?), he finds us singularly inept in our judgments about conscious experience

Do you dream in color? If you answer Yes,how can you be sure? Before you recount your vivid memory of a dream featuringall the colors of the rainbow, consider that in the 1950s,researchers foundthat most people reported dreaming in black and white. In the 1960s — when most movies were in color and more people had colortelevision sets — the vast majority of reported dreams contained color.The most likely explanation for this, according to philosopher EricSchwitzgebel, is not that exposure to black-and-white media made peoplemisremember their dreams.

It is that we simply don't know whether or notwe dream in color. In Perplexities of Consciousness,Schwitzgebel examines various aspects of inner life — dreams,mental imagery,emotions, and other subjective phenomena — and arguesthat we know very little about our stream of conscious experience. In fact, hecontends, we are prone to gross error about our ongoing emotional,visual, andcognitive experiences. Westernphilosophical tradition is nearly unanimous on the accuracy of our knowledge orcurrent conscious experience. Schwitzgebel is skeptical. Drawing broadly fromhistorical and recent philosophy and psychology to examine such topics asvisual perspective,human echolocation (about which he is doubtful), and theunreliability of introspection even about emotional states (do we really enjoyChristmas? a family dinner?), he finds us singularly inept in our judgmentsabout conscious experience.

A philosopher argues that we know little about our own inner lives.Do you dream in color? If you answer Yes, how can you be sure? Before you recount your vivid memory of a dream featuring all the colors of the rainbow, consider that in the 1950s researchers found that most people reported dreaming in black and white. In the 1960s, when most movies were in color and more people had color television sets, the vast majority of reported dreams contained color. The most likely explanation for this, according to the philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel, is not that exposure to black-and-white media made people misremember their dreams. It is that we simply don't know whether or not we dream in color. In Perplexities of Consciousness, Schwitzgebel examines various aspects of inner life (dreams, mental imagery, emotions, and other subjective phenomena) and argues that we know very little about our stream of conscious experience.Drawing broadly from historical and recent philosophy and psychology to examine such topics as visual perspective, and the unreliability of introspection, Schwitzgebel finds us singularly inept in our judgments about conscious experience. Preface Recoloring the Dreamworld Do Things Look Flat? Galton's Other Folly Human Echolocation Titchener's Introspective Training Manual Do You Have Constant Tactile Experience of Your Feet in Your Shoes? And Some Pessimistic Thoughts about Theories of Consciousness The Unreliability of Naive Introspection When Your Eyes Are Closed, What Do You See? Notes References Index Content: Recoloring the dreamworld -- Do things look flat? -- Galton's other folly -- Human echolocation -- Titchener's introspective training manual -- Do you have constant tactile experience of your feet in your shoes? and some pessimistic thoughts about theories of consciousness -- The unreliability of naive introspection -- When your eyes are closed, what do you see? In this book, the author examines various aspects of inner life (dreams, mental imagery, emotions, and other subjective phenomena) and argues that we know very little about our stream of conscious experience. In fact, he contends, we are prone to gross error about our ongoing emotional, visual, and cognitive experiences