Abstract
The contrasts between so-called objective and subjective measures of consciousness have been a dominating topic of discussion for decades. The debate has classically been dominated by two positions – that subjective measures may be completely or partially reduced to objective measures, and, alternatively that they must exist in parallel. I argue that many problems relate to subjective reports as they can be imprecise and vulnerable to a number of potential confounding factors. However, I also argue that despite the fact that subjective reports are fallible, all objective measures are derived from subjective measures, and, thus, will never under normal circumstances be more correct. I propose that the best and possibly only realistic way forward is a specific version of a “middle ground”: to attempt to improve subjective reports in a collaboration with objective research methods.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages (from-to) | 345-358 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| ISSN | 1568-7759 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2025 |
Keywords
- Consciousness
- Introspection
- Methodology
- Objective methods
- Subjective methods