ISSN:
1573-1200
Keywords:
behaviorism
;
coma
;
consciousness
;
locked-in syndrome
;
other minds problem
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
,
Philosophy
Notes:
Abstract In this paper, the problem of correct ascriptions of consciousness to patients in neurological intensive care medicine is explored as a special case of the general philosophical ‘other minds problem’. It is argued that although clinical ascriptions of consciousness and coma are mostly based on behavioral evidence, a behaviorist epistemology of other minds is not likely to succeed. To illustrate this, the so-called ‘total locked-in syndrome’, in which preserved consciousness is combined with a total loss of motor abilities due to a lower ventral brain stem lesion, is presented as a touchstone for behaviorism. It is argued that this example of consciousness without behavioral expression does not disprove behaviorism specifically, but rather illustrates the need for a non-verificationist theory of other minds. It is further argued that a folk version of such a theory already underlies our factual ascriptions of consciousness in clinical contexts. Finally, a non-behaviorist theory of other minds for patients with total locked-in syndrome is outlined.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02134779
Permalink
