1. School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53719, USA 2. Department of Philosophy, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
This is a dialogue between a philosopher and a scientist about the scientific explanation of consciousness. What is consciousness? Does it admit of scientific explanation? If so, what must a scientific theory of consciousness be like in order to provide us with a satisfying explanation of its explanandum? And what types of entities might such a theory acknowledge as being conscious? Philosopher Owen Flanagan and scientist Giulio Tononi weigh in on these issues during an exchange about the nature and scientific explanation of consciousness.
