The PSYCHE Mailing Lists: Interdisciplinary Discussions on Consciousness

Patrick Wilken (patrickw@cs.monash.edu.au)
Mon, 25 Aug 1997 19:10:36 +1000

In recent years there as been a convergence of interest, from a number
of fields of study, on the nature of conscious experience. The
neuroscientist who explores the biological basis of consciousness, the
philosopher concerned with how age old questions of human experience are
explained, the psychologist seeking a more comprehensive view of the
nature and dynamics of subjective experience, and the cyberneticist who
dreams of a robot that thinks for itself, all work with closely related
and overlapping subjects, and all stand to benefit from and contribute
to a common pool of knowledge. Furthermore, these issues are finding
increasing relevance among the humanities --the traditional home of
discussion on the nature of human experience.

The study of consciousness is ultimately an interdisciplinary endeavor.
In order to accommodate a more diverse yet focussed dialog on a very
complex subject, the journal PSYCHE <http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au/>
has established two discussion lists. Psyche-D is intended for dialog
on issues of theory, while Psyche-B focuses on research and empirical
issues.

PSYCHE-D for discussion of theoretical issues:

* How do we define consciousness? In the broader sense, what
natural phenomena are we trying to understand? What needs to be
explained, and why?

* What theoretical approaches are being offered in the study of
consciousness, and how do they contribute to our understanding
with reference to our definition of the problem?

* Just how big is this question, and why?

PSYCHE-B for discussion of empirical issues:

* What directions in research are suggested by theory? What
questions are ripe for research?

* What can we put our hands on? How can the neural (or other)
correlates of consciousness be operationally defined and tested?

* What research has been done, and what does it contribute to our
understanding with reference to our definition of the problem?

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Patrick Wilken <patrickw@cs.monash.edu.au>, Executive Editor, Psyche
Tony Whetstone <pswhetst@ecuvm.cis.ecu.edu>, Editor, Psyche-B
George Buckner <metacom@mindspring.com>, Editor, Psyche-D