There are many theories of the functions of consciousness. How these theories relate to each other, how we should assess them, and whether any integration of them is possible are all issues that remain unclear. To contribute to a solution, this paper offers a conceptual framework to clarify the theories of the functions of consciousness. This framework consists of three dimensions: (i) target, (ii) explanatory order, and (iii) necessity/sufficiency. The first dimension, target, clarifies each theory in terms of the kind of consciousness it targets. The second dimension, explanatory order, clarifies each theory in terms of how it conceives of the explanatory relation between consciousness and function. The third dimension, necessity/sufficiency, clarifies each theory in terms of the necessity/sufficiency relation posited between consciousness and function. We demonstrate the usefulness of this framework by applying it to some existing scientific and philosophical theories of the functions of consciousness.

中文翻译：

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意识的功能：概念澄清

关于意识的功能有很多理论。这些理论如何相互关联，我们应该如何评估它们，以及它们是否有可能进行整合，这些都是尚不清楚的问题。为了提供解决方案，本文提供了一个概念框架来阐明意识功能的理论。该框架由三个维度组成：（i）目标，（ii）解释顺序，和（iii）必要性/充分性。第一个维度，目标，根据它所针对的意识类型来阐明每个理论。第二个维度，解释顺序，根据它如何构想意识和功能之间的解释关系来阐明每个理论。第三个维度，必要性/充分性，根据意识和功能之间的必要性/充分性关系阐明了每个理论。我们通过将其应用于一些现有的关于意识功能的科学和哲学理论来证明该框架的有用性。