Consciousness Multiplied

A single human brain may contain numerous conscious minds at once, each as vivid and real as our own, according to the multiplicity hypothesis. The argument holds that many of the brain's proper parts themselves fulfill the neural correlates of consciousness, challenging the deeply rooted assumption that one brain equals one mind. This conclusion follows from principles linking human consciousness to neural activity that scientifically minded people have good reasons to accept. The article considers several objections but finds the case for multiplicity resilient.

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Abstract

ABSTRACT It is generally assumed that an ordinary human brain is associated with a single mind. Indeed, this assumption is so deeply rooted that it is rarely articulated explicitly, let alone questioned. However, as philosophers of mind have increasingly noticed, it turns out to rest on alarmingly shaky ground. In this article, I argue for the multiplicity hypothesis : under normal conditions, a single human brain is home to not just one, but numerous conscious minds at once, each as vivid and real as our own. Specifically, this argument holds that many of a human brain's proper parts themselves fulfill the neural correlates of consciousness. Although this conclusion is deeply counterintuitive, it follows from principles that any scientifically minded person, who thinks there is an intimate tie between human consciousness and neural activity, has good reasons to accept. I consider several objections, but the case for multiplicity proves resilient.