Abstract
Freud provides a number of arguments directly against the consciousness criterion—the view that mind equals consciousness. In this chapter, I evaluate these critical arguments and argue that, although many understand these to be the primary arguments Freud marshals for his positive position, they fail to do the stand-alone work that they are claimed to do. The problem, I argue, is that to argue against Cartesianism one cannot directly attack the consciousness criterion. Rather, one must start by understanding consciousness and identifying its mental-relevant essence.
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Wakefield, J.C. (2018). Freud’s Direct Arguments Against the Consciousness Criterion. In: Freud and Philosophy of Mind, Volume 1. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96343-3_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96343-3_8
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