Three Comments in Case of a Structural Turn in Consciousness Science

Abstract

Recent activities in virtually all fields engaged in consciousness studies indicate early signs of a structural turn, where verbal descriptions or simple formalisations of conscious experiences are replaced by structural tools, most notably mathematical spaces. My goal here is to offer three comments that, in my opinion, are essential to avoid misunderstandings in these developments early on. These comments concern metaphysical premises of structuralist approaches, overlooked assumptions in regard to isomorphisms, and the question of what structure to consider on the side of consciousness in the first place. I will also explain what, in my opinion, are the great promises of a structuralist methodology and how they might impact consciousness science at large.