On the Evolution of Conciousness

Rudolf Hernegger
Additional contact information
Rudolf Hernegger: c/o Accedo Verlagsgesellschaft, Gnesener Str. 1, D-81929 München

Homo Oeconomicus, 2005, vol. 21, pages 473-494

Abstract: This article presents an explanatory model of perception as the origin of consciousness. During perception, the sensory system does not take up the stimulus itself, but rather symbolic information about it. The elements of this symbolic information, the sense qualities, are generated in the interaction of the stimulus with the sensory apparatus, which acts as a ?lter. Sense qualities are therefore not an arbitrary product of the brain. Conscious perception is preceded by a preattentive phase of neocortical stimulus analysis, leading to the formation of sensory detectors in the brain cortex. In this phase, the symbolic information is recoded: The nervous system acts as code and carrier. The neural code must be decoded in order to acquire meaning. Sense qualities cannot be perceived unless the central activation system directs the sensory system selectively toward the stimulus. In this process, the cortical detectors and the sensory system, forming a functional unit, are confronted with the stimulus and the neural code is decoded into sensory perception. Somatosensory perception is involved in every subjective experience, for only in this case (coincide).

Date: 2005

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hom:homoec:v:21:y:2005:p:473-494

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Homo Oeconomicus from Institute of SocioEconomics
Contact information at EDIRC.
Series data maintained by Matthew Braham (). This e-mail address is bad, please contact .