Dennett’s Model of Consciousness

Daniel Dennett, one of the most highly regarded philosophers and cognitive scientists, continues along a similar line of reasoning as Minsky. They both give due respect to internal subjective experience such as feelings and emotions, but these are only evidence of how things appear to them to be, rather than direct evidence of the way things actually are. Dennett’s view of consciousness is proposed as the multiple draft model of consciousness. First off, mental processes are spread over the dimensions of both space and time. He then uses the analogy of the preparation and publication of a book. The original text undergoes a number of draftings and is sent to editors before it is finalized. There are multiple drafts but only one may get chosen in a certain situation. This process is similar to how consciousness is represented in the brain (Dennett, 1994).

Dennett, similar to Minsky, stresses that it is only an illusion that a person is conscious of what is perceived as “now.” Processes in in the brain are happening simultaneously and are at the millisecond level. Because it is working at a finite speed, it is impossible to order events in the brain below the millisecond time scale (Wadhawan). There is a choice made by the brain from among the recent events and processes occurring that make up the subjective “now.” Within this argument, Dennett rejects the idea of qualia, so called “feelings that are associated with a sensation independent of sensory input.”

From Dennett’s view, consciousness arises from the processes associated with information exchange in the brain. Conflicting pieces of sensory information, memories and emotional cues are competing with each other at all times in the brain. Every instant, a new set of factors can dominate your awareness. Dennett also believes that a necessary prerequisite for consciousness to emerge is the acquisition of a human language. Dennett (2006) claims that without language, “there is no organized subject (yet) to be the enjoyer or sufferer, no owner of the experience as contrasted with a mere cerebral locus of effects.” As our brain organizes information exchange processes, consciousness arises.