Two Paradigms of the Unconscious and What They Might Tell Us About Consciousness

Explore a thought-provoking conference talk examining two dominant paradigms in the philosophy of the unconscious and their implications for understanding consciousness. Delve into the Neo-Freudian perspective of repressed desires driving human actions and the dual-process theory's concept of Type 1 thinking characterized by automatic, quick, and unconscious cognition. Learn how the intersection of these paradigms can form a minimal theory of the unconscious, potentially offering fresh insights into consciousness research. Discover how understanding the unconscious can help differentiate between conscious and unconscious processing, illuminate the nature of the preconscious state, and enhance the contrastive analysis approach commonly used in neuroscience studies of consciousness.