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Updated: Nov 30, 2025

Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness
Published on: August 1, 2017
Theories of consciousness are solutions in need of problems
1Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging and Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, UK.
Abstract:
Doerig et al. point out a number of shortcomings with existing theories of consciousness and argue they should be systematically constrained by empirical data. In this commentary I suggest a further constraint - the potential functions of (the contents of) consciousness. One such candidate function in humans is the social sharing of reportable mental states. The social function of consciousnessprovides a general framework within which to understand the evolution and neurobiology of conscious awareness.
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