Max Velmans (b 1942)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Velmans

Understanding Consciousness

Velmans' Understanding Consciousness (2000, 2009) is a comprehensive summary of his theoretical work, and introduces the idea of "reflexive monism."^{[7][8][9][10]}

Reflexive monism presents itself as an alternative to both dualism and reductionism. It states that it does not make sense to speak of phenomenological experiences of reality as occurring solely within the brain, given that some of them quite clearly occur within the experienced world itself (for example, asked to point to an external light as-experienced, almost all rational subjects would point to the light that is experienced rather than to the brain, which is where, according to dualists and reductionists, the experience actually takes place). Thus, Velmans argues, the relationship between subjects and experienced reality is reflexive: some experiences apprehended by the subject are quite clearly placed "in the world" by the perceiving mind. The contents of consciousness are, thus, not exclusively in the brain, but often in the perceived physical world itself; in fact, in terms of phenomenology, there is no clear and distinct difference between what we normally think of as the "physical world", the "phenomenal world" and the "world as perceived".^[11][7] He writes:

This sketch of how consciousness fits into the wider universe supports a form of non-reductive, Reflexive Monism. Human minds, bodies and brains are embedded in a far greater universe. Individual conscious representations are perspectival. That is, the precise manner in which entities, events and processes are translated into experiences depends on the location in space and time of a given observer, and the exact mix of perceptual, cognitive, affective, social, cultural and historical influences which enter into the 'construction' of a given experience. In this sense, each conscious construction is private, subjective, and unique. Taken together, the contents of consciousness provide a view of the wider universe, giving it the appearance of a 3D phenomenal world. ... However, such conscious representations are not the thing-itself. In this vision, there is one universe (the thing-itself), with relatively differentiated parts in the form of conscious beings like ourselves, each with a unique, conscious view of the larger universe of which it is a part. In so far as we are parts of the universe that, in turn, experience the larger universe, we participate in a reflexive process whereby the universe experiences itself."^[11]

Selected publications

Velmans is the author and editor of numerous books and papers on consciousness, including the following:^[14]

• Consciousness (Critical Concepts in Psychology) Major Works Series (4 Volumes) (Routledge, 2018)^[15]
• Towards a Deeper Understanding of Consciousness (Routledge, 2017)^[16]
• Understanding Consciousness (Routledge/Psychology Press, London, 2000), edition 2 (Routledge/Psychology Press, London, 2009)^[17]
• The Blackwell Companion to Consciousness (jointly edited with Susan Schneider - Blackwell, 2007)^[18]
• The Blackwell Companion to Consciousness Second Edition (jointly edited with Susan Schneider, Wiley-Blackwell, 2017)^[19][1]
• How Could Conscious Experiences Affect Brains? (Imprint, 2003)^[20]
• Investigating Phenomenal Consciousness (John Benjamins, 2000)^[21]
• The Science of Consciousness: Psychological, Neuropsychological and Clinical Reviews (Routledge, 1996)[2]