Contents

Refereed Papers

Masaharu Mizumoto & Masato Ishiwaka  abstract
Immunity to Error Through Misidentification and the Bodily Illusion Experiment.
Cristina Becchio & Cesare Bertone  abstract
Beyond Cartesian Subjectivism: Neural Correlates of Shared Intentionality
Shu LI  abstract
Romantic Music Activates Minds Rooted in a Particular Culture

Moderated Dialogue

Frans de Waal, Evan Thompson & Jim Proctor  abstract
Primates, Monks, and the Mind: The Case of Empathy

New Translation of a Classic Text

William James (trans. Jonathan Bricklin)  abstract
The Notion of Consciousness
William James
La Notion de Conscience (1905 French text)

Conference Report  full text

Bill Faw
What We Know and What We Don’t Know About Consciousness Science: A Review of ASSC-9, 2005

Book Reviews  full text

John Bickle
William Hirstein, Brain Fiction
Tim Calton
Susan Blackmore, Consciousness: An Introduction
Hugh Noble
Eric Dietrich and Valerie Gray Hardcastle, Sisyphus’s Boulder
Paavo Pylkkänen
Ted Honderich, On Consciousness

ABSTRACTS

Cristina Becchio & Cesare Bertone

Beyond Cartesian Subjectivism: Neural Correlates of Shared Intentionality

Abstract. In the present paper we present a short review of some recent neuro- physiological and neuropsychological findings which suggest that self-generated actions and actions of others are mapped on the same neural substratum. Since this substratum is neutral with respect to the agent, correctly attributing an action to its proper author requires the co-activation of areas specific to the self and the other. A conceptual analysis of the empirical data will lead us to conclude that from a neurobiological point of view the problem is not ‘how is it possible to share the intentions of others’, but rather ‘how one can distinguish one’s own action/intention from those of other people’.

Correspondence: Cristina Becchio, Centro di Scienza Cognitiva, Università di Torino, via Po 14, 10123 Torino, Italy. Email: becchio@psych.unito.it

William James (trans. & intro. Jonathan Bricklin)

The Notion of Consciousness

Communication made (in French) at the 5th International Congress of Psychology, Rome, 30 April 1905. A new translation by Jonathan Bricklin

This translation commemorates the centennial of what is perhaps James’clearest statement of Radical Empiricism. It was originally translated by Salvatore Saladino for a 1967 Random House Anthology, and subsequently amended by Harvard University Press (unattributed). My motivation to re-translate was to adhere more closely to James’precise thought, as well as to utilize English terms and phraseology found elsewhere in his published work.  All translators are indebted to those who go before them, and many of Saladino’s graceful constructions have been retained.  (According to my Delta View program there are 810 changes between  our two versions.)  I am also indebted to French writer Isabelle Deconinck, who made corrections and suggestions throughout, and to Eugene Taylor. The translation is followed by the original French text.

Correspondence: bricklin@earthlink.net

Masaharu Mizumoto and Masato Ishikawa

Immunity to Error through Misidentification and the Bodily Illusion Experiment

Abstract: In this paper we introduce a paradigm of experiment which, we believe, is of interest both in psychology and philosophy. There the subject wears an HMD (head-mount display), and a camera is set up at the upper corner of the room, in which the subject is. As a result, the subject observes his own body through the HMD. We will mainly focus on the philosophical relevance of this experiment, especially to the thesis of so-called ‘immunity to error through misidentification relative to the first-person pronoun’. We will argue that one experiment conducted in this setting, which we call the bodily illusion experiment, provides a counterexample to that thesis.

Correspondence: Masaharu Mizumoto, School of Arts and Letters, 1-1 Surugadai, Kanda, Chiyoda-ku, Meiji University, Tokyo 101-8301 Japan. mmizumot@hotmail.com

Shu LI

Romantic Music Activates Minds Rooted in a Particular Culture

Abstract: Photographs of celebrities or objects of two incompatible cultural meaning systems were selected as experimental stimuli. By investigating bicultural individuals’ (Westernized Chinese Singaporeans) naming of these photographs, and then their selection of a culture-associated beverage (tea or coffee) in the presence of a piece of background music, the present study found a profound switching between different cultural frames in response to the romantic music of China or USA. The findings suggest that the responses to the musical cue evoke more responses with strong cultural associations for a dominated culture (the Chinese way of naming & coffee-drinking) than for a dominating culture (the Western way of naming & tea-drinking).

Correspondence: Dr. Shu LI, Center for Social & Economic Behavior, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China.

Frans de Waal and Evan Thompson, Interviewed by Jim Proctor

Primates, Monks and the Mind: The Case of Empathy

[opening paragraph:] Jim Proctor: It’s Monday, February 14th, Valentine’s Day, 2005. I’m pleased to welcome Evan Thompson and Frans de Waal, who have joined us as distinguished guest scholars for a series of events in connection with a program sponsored by UC Santa Barbara titled New Visions of Nature, Science, and Religion. The theme of their visit is ‘Primates, Monks, and the Mind’. What we’re going to discuss this morning — empathy — is quite appropriate to Valentine’s Day, and is one of many ways to bring primates, monks, and the mind together. I know that empathy has been important to both of you in your research. So we will explore possible overlap in the ways that someone interested in the relationship between phenomenology and neuroscience — or ‘neurophenomenology’ — and someone with a background in cognitive ethology come at the question of empathy. I’d like to start by making sure we frame empathy in a common way. What would you say are the defining features of this capacity we’re calling empathy? . . . .

Correspondence: Jim Proctor, New Visions of Nature, Science, and Religion, Department. of Geography, 3611 Ellison Hall, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4060,USA.
Email: jproctor@geog.ucsb.edu, dewaal@emory.edu, evan.thompson@utoronto.ca

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