Functions of Consciousness

A major challenge for the successful naturalization of consciousness lies in locating its biological function, or functions. Although common sense suggests that conscious experience has many important functional roles in our lives, experiments and theoretical arguments challenge these everyday intuitions. Many human behaviors can occur in the absence of consciousness, and the natural world contains many creatures capable of engaging in complex behaviors, at least some of which may be doing so entirely without consciousness (e.g., mollusks, microorganisms). Yet, without any defensible function, consciousness is in danger of losing its legitimacy as an object of scientific study (Chalmers 1996; Humphrey 2002).