title: Neurodynamics of mind: the arrow illusion of conscious intentionality as downward causation.
abstract: In cognitive neuroscience, the reissue of the notion of emergence and downward causation has been used as an interlevel model of mind-brain interactions from different perspectives. Within this perspective, intentionality has been interpreted as global to local determination (downward causation) on the neurophysiological level. Consciousness would act as the large-scale, global activity of the system that governs or constrains local interactions of neurons. This argument seems to solve several difficulties with regard to descriptions of consciousness on a neurophysiological and mental level. Nevertheless, the inconsistencies of this argument are shown, and a contextual and pragmatic explanation of the downward causation of consciousness is given.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Epistemology and History of Medicine (LEPHIM), Instituto Universitario del Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Joaquín
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barutta
authors.forename: Ezequiel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gleichgerrcht
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cornejo
authors.forename: Agustín
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ibáñez
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D015984:Causality; D003243:Consciousness; D006801:Humans; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology*