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Abstract

Research on the neuronal correlates of consciousness faces the problem that the explanandum is ill defined. An attempt is made to constrain the problem by contrasting conscious with non-conscious processing modes. Evidence is reviewed that favors the notion that conscious processing is associated with a dynamical state that permits binding of widely distributed computational results by establishing large scale temporal coherence. It is proposed that the coexistence of conscious and non-conscious processing modes is a general feature of mammalian brains that is amenable to neurobiological exploration. By contrast it is argued that the phase transition between neuronal processes and the qualia experienced from the first person perspective defies purely neuroscientific reductionism because qualia have the ontological status of social realities. Hence, they can only be accounted for by including in addition the social interactions of agents endowed with the cognitive functions of humans.