1. Introduction: The Battle of the Bulge In trying to develop a
theory of how consciousness arises in the brain, it is important
to begin with an account of which kinds of brain events can be
conscious. Once we know which brain events are conscious, we can
investigate what distinguishes them from those that are not.
Pretty much everyone agrees that some activities in the brain
are never conscious. For example, it would be hard to find
researches who think there can be conscious events in the
cerebellum. Most researchers nowadays also deny that there can
be conscious events in subcortical structures, though there is
an occasional plea for the thalamus (Baars) or the reticular
formation (Damasio). But what about the neocortex? Is any
activity in that folded carapace a candidate for conscious
experience? Does each cortical neuron vie for the conscious
spotlight, like the contestants on a televised talent show?
(Recall Dennett on “cerebral celebrity.”) To make progress on
this question, we can ascend from brain t