Self-Representationalism and the Explanatory Gap
Abstract
According to the self-representational theory of consciousness – self-
representationalism for short – a mental state is phenomenally conscious when, and
only when, it represents itself in the right way. In this paper, I consider how self-
representationalism might address the alleged explanatory gap between phenomenal
consciousness and physical properties. I open with a presentation of self-
representationalism and the case for it (§1). I then present what I take to be the most
promising self-representational approach to the explanatory gap (§2). That approach
is threatened, however, by an objection to self-representationalism, due to Levine,
which I call the just more representation objection (§3). I close with a discussion of
how the self-representationalist might approach the objection (§4).