Cartesian theater
E1036178
The Cartesian theater is a criticized philosophical model of consciousness that imagines a central inner stage where a homunculus observes mental representations, implying a problematic separation between mind and brain processes.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Cartesian theater canonical | 1 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
criticized concept in philosophy of mind
ⓘ
philosophical model of consciousness ⓘ theoretical construct ⓘ |
| addressesQuestion | where and how conscious experience occurs in the brain ⓘ |
| associatedWithPhilosopher | René Descartes NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| assumes |
privileged final narrative of what happens in the mind
ⓘ
sharp boundary between unconscious and conscious processing ⓘ |
| category |
metaphor in philosophy of mind
ⓘ
philosophical thought experiment ⓘ |
| coinedBy | Daniel Dennett NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| contrastedWith |
distributed processing models of consciousness
ⓘ
functionalist accounts of consciousness ⓘ multiple drafts model ⓘ |
| coreIdea |
a homunculus observes mental representations on an inner screen
ⓘ
consciousness occurs in a central inner stage in the brain ⓘ mental contents are presented at a single privileged place and time ⓘ |
| criticizedBy |
Daniel Dennett
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
many contemporary philosophers of mind ⓘ |
| criticizedFor |
homunculus fallacy
ⓘ
infinite regress of observers ⓘ misleading spatial metaphor for consciousness ⓘ postulating a single central place of consciousness ⓘ reintroducing dualism ⓘ |
| deniedBy | Dennett's multiple drafts theory NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| describedInWork | Consciousness Explained NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| field |
cognitive science
ⓘ
philosophy of consciousness ⓘ philosophy of mind ⓘ |
| hasAlternativeName |
Cartesian Theater model
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Cartesian theatre NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| implies |
existence of an inner observer
ⓘ
linear sequence where unconscious processing precedes conscious presentation ⓘ separation between mind and brain processes ⓘ |
| influencedBy | interpretations of Descartes' views on mind and brain ⓘ |
| involves |
inner observation
ⓘ
mental representations ⓘ temporal ordering of conscious events ⓘ |
| metaphorFor | central processing area in the brain where experience is displayed ⓘ |
| philosophicalStatus | widely regarded as untenable ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
Cartesian dualism
ⓘ
central executive ⓘ global workspace ⓘ homunculus ⓘ |
| usedAs |
foil for non-dualistic theories of consciousness
ⓘ
negative example in cognitive science ⓘ |
| yearCoined | 1991 ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.