Beyond Zero and One (Andrew Smart) / quote 133 of 171
Psychedelics and the useful-hallucination theory
In the same spirit as “disorders of consciousness research,” scientists are also beginning to study the neurobiology of psychedelic drugs by using these modern brain-imaging technologies. Which theory about consciousness best supports the conception that consciousness is a form of hallucination? Each approach could potentially account for a “useful-hallucination” theory of consciousness. From the functionalist perspective, hallucinations could be seen as a particular type of self-model. However, the functionalists would have to expand their sense of how this model is generated. It is not generated from representations of the world, but rather from within the brain and it is much less causally related to sensory input than is typically thought.