Consciousness in experimental subjects is typically inferred from reports and other forms of voluntary behaviour. A wealth of everyday experience confirms that healthy subjects do not ordinarily behave in these ways unless they are conscious. Investigation of consciousness in vegetative state patients has been based on the search for neural evidence that such broad functional capacities are preserved in some vegetative state patients. We call this the standard approach. To date, the results of the standard approach have suggested that some vegetative state patients might indeed be conscious, although they fall short of being demonstrative. The fact that some vegetative state patients show evidence of consciousness according to the standard approach is remarkable, for the standard approach to consciousness is rather conservative, and leaves open the pressing question of how to ascertain whether patients who fail such tests are conscious or not. We argue for a cluster-based ‘natural kind’ methodology that is adequate to that task, both as a replacement for the approach that currently informs research into the presence or absence of consciousness in vegetative state patients and as a methodology for the science of consciousness more generally. 1. Introduction2. The Vegetative State3. The Standard Approach4. The Natural Kind Methodology5. Is Consciousness a Special Case? 5.1 Is consciousness a natural kind? 5.2 A special obstacle?6. Conclusion Introduction The Vegetative State The Standard Approach The Natural Kind Methodology Is Consciousness a Special Case? 5.1 Is consciousness a natural kind? 5.2 A special obstacle? 5.1 Is consciousness a natural kind? 5.2 A special obstacle? Conclusion

中文翻译：

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植物人状态与意识科学


实验对象的意识通常是从报告和其他形式的自愿行为中推断出来的。丰富的日常经验证实，健康的受试者通常不会以这些方式行事，除非他们有意识。对植物人状态患者意识的研究是基于对神经证据的探索，即一些植物人状态患者保留了如此广泛的功能能力。我们称之为标准方法。迄今为止，标准方法的结果表明，一些植物人状态患者可能确实有意识，尽管他们缺乏表现性。一些植物人状态患者根据标准方法显示出意识的证据这一事实是值得注意的，因为意识的标准方法相当保守，并且留下了如何确定未通过此类测试的患者是否有意识的紧迫问题。我们主张基于集群的“自然类”方法足以完成该任务，既可以替代目前研究植物人状态患者意识存在与否的方法，也可以作为意识科学的方法论更一般地说。 1. 简介2.植物人状态3.标准方法4。自然类方法论5。意识是一个特例吗？ 5.1 意识是一种自然类型吗？ 5.2 特殊障碍？6．结论 介绍 植物人状态 标准方法 自然类方法论 意识是一个特例吗？ 5.1 意识是一种自然类型吗？ 5.2 特殊障碍？ 5.1 意识是一种自然类型吗？ 5.2 特殊障碍？结论