Heterophenomenology
Encyclopedia
Heterophenomenology is a term coined by Daniel Dennett
to describe an explicitly third-person, scientific approach to the study of consciousness
and other mental phenomena. It consists of applying the scientific method
with an anthropological
bent, combining the subject's self-reports with all other available evidence to determine their mental state. The goal is to discover how the subject sees the world him- or herself, without taking the accuracy of the subject's view for granted.
Heterophenomenology is put forth as the alternative to traditional Cartesian
phenomenology, which Dennett calls "lone-wolf autophenomenology" to emphasize the fact that it accepts the subject's self-reports as being authoritative. In contrast, heterophenomenology considers the subjects authoritative only about how things seem to them.
It can be refuted if one accepts that the subjective experience of a mental state is the thing-in-itself, disregarding any differential physical phenomena: the objective appearance of a subjective experience has no bearing on the experience if the experience is what is being analysed - it is irrelevant to the agent what a state looks like to an independent observer, only to himself, as the independent observer is not experiencing it (the observer is instead subjectively experiencing the objective appearance of the agent's subjective experience) - unless the objective appearance influences the subjective experience itself.
Most arguments refuting strict behaviourism also refute heterophenomenology, as heterophenomenology is a form of reductionist strict behaviourism.
In other words, heterophenomenology requires the researcher to listen to the subjects and take what they say seriously, but to also look at everything else available to us, including the subject's bodily responses and environment, and be ready to conclude that the subject is wrong even about their own mind. For example, we could determine that the subject is hungry even though they don't recognize it.
The key role of heterophenomenology in Dennett's philosophy
of consciousness is that it defines all that can or needs to be known about the mind. For any phenomenological question "why do I experience X", there is a corresponding heterophenomenological question "why does the subject say 'I experience X'". To quote Dennett, "The total set of details of heterophenomenology, plus all the data we can gather about concurrent events in the brains of subjects and in the surrounding environment, comprise the total data set for a theory of human consciousness. It leaves out no objective phenomena and no subjective phenomena of consciousness."
Dennett stresses that heterophenomenology does not dismiss the first-person perspective, but rather brackets it so that it can be intersubjectively verified by empirical means, allowing it to be submitted as scientific evidence. This can be seen by how heavily heterophenomenology relies on adopting the intentional stance
toward subjects.
Dennett flatly denies the existence of qualia
, without proposing a counter-mechanism or counter-proposition, which are posited as inherently subjective mental states which, by definition, could not be detected via heterophenomenology, falling in to the trap of, "If we can not detect and measure a discrete x, x does not exist". Heterophenomenology has sometimes been considered "[a] rguably, a version of analytical or logical behaviorism
".
Daniel Dennett
Daniel Clement Dennett is an American philosopher, writer and cognitive scientist whose research centers on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. He is currently the Co-director of...
to describe an explicitly third-person, scientific approach to the study of consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
and other mental phenomena. It consists of applying the scientific method
Scientific method
Scientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of...
with an anthropological
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
bent, combining the subject's self-reports with all other available evidence to determine their mental state. The goal is to discover how the subject sees the world him- or herself, without taking the accuracy of the subject's view for granted.
Heterophenomenology is put forth as the alternative to traditional Cartesian
René Descartes
René Descartes ; was a French philosopher and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day...
phenomenology, which Dennett calls "lone-wolf autophenomenology" to emphasize the fact that it accepts the subject's self-reports as being authoritative. In contrast, heterophenomenology considers the subjects authoritative only about how things seem to them.
It can be refuted if one accepts that the subjective experience of a mental state is the thing-in-itself, disregarding any differential physical phenomena: the objective appearance of a subjective experience has no bearing on the experience if the experience is what is being analysed - it is irrelevant to the agent what a state looks like to an independent observer, only to himself, as the independent observer is not experiencing it (the observer is instead subjectively experiencing the objective appearance of the agent's subjective experience) - unless the objective appearance influences the subjective experience itself.
Most arguments refuting strict behaviourism also refute heterophenomenology, as heterophenomenology is a form of reductionist strict behaviourism.
In other words, heterophenomenology requires the researcher to listen to the subjects and take what they say seriously, but to also look at everything else available to us, including the subject's bodily responses and environment, and be ready to conclude that the subject is wrong even about their own mind. For example, we could determine that the subject is hungry even though they don't recognize it.
The key role of heterophenomenology in Dennett's philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
of consciousness is that it defines all that can or needs to be known about the mind. For any phenomenological question "why do I experience X", there is a corresponding heterophenomenological question "why does the subject say 'I experience X'". To quote Dennett, "The total set of details of heterophenomenology, plus all the data we can gather about concurrent events in the brains of subjects and in the surrounding environment, comprise the total data set for a theory of human consciousness. It leaves out no objective phenomena and no subjective phenomena of consciousness."
Dennett stresses that heterophenomenology does not dismiss the first-person perspective, but rather brackets it so that it can be intersubjectively verified by empirical means, allowing it to be submitted as scientific evidence. This can be seen by how heavily heterophenomenology relies on adopting the intentional stance
Intentional stance
The intentional stance is a term coined by philosopher Daniel Dennett for the level of abstraction in which we view the behavior of a thing in terms of mental properties...
toward subjects.
Dennett flatly denies the existence of qualia
Qualia
Qualia , singular "quale" , from a Latin word meaning for "what sort" or "what kind," is a term used in philosophy to refer to subjective conscious experiences as 'raw feels'. Examples of qualia are the pain of a headache, the taste of wine, the experience of taking a recreational drug, or the...
, without proposing a counter-mechanism or counter-proposition, which are posited as inherently subjective mental states which, by definition, could not be detected via heterophenomenology, falling in to the trap of, "If we can not detect and measure a discrete x, x does not exist". Heterophenomenology has sometimes been considered "
Behaviorism
Behaviorism , also called the learning perspective , is a philosophy of psychology based on the proposition that all things that organisms do—including acting, thinking, and feeling—can and should be regarded as behaviors, and that psychological disorders are best treated by altering behavior...
".
See also
- ConsciousnessConsciousnessConsciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
- NeurologyNeurologyNeurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
- Phenomenology (philosophy)
- Phenomenology (psychology)Phenomenology (psychology)Phenomenology is an approach to psychological subject matter that has its roots in the philosophical work of Edmund Husserl. Early phenomenologists such as Husserl, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty conducted their own psychological investigations in the early 20th century...
- QualiaQualiaQualia , singular "quale" , from a Latin word meaning for "what sort" or "what kind," is a term used in philosophy to refer to subjective conscious experiences as 'raw feels'. Examples of qualia are the pain of a headache, the taste of wine, the experience of taking a recreational drug, or the...
External links
- Who’s On First? Heterophenomenology Explained by Daniel DennettDaniel DennettDaniel Clement Dennett is an American philosopher, writer and cognitive scientist whose research centers on the philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and philosophy of biology, particularly as those fields relate to evolutionary biology and cognitive science. He is currently the Co-director of...
- Heterophenomenology Reconsidered Dennett revisits/clarifies his position in light of recent criticisms (on-line pre-print)