How can we construct a science of consciousness?

David Chalmers

University of Arizona

In the science of consciousness, there are two sorts of data that need explaining: third-person data about behavior and brain function, and first-person data about conscious experience. The distinctive task of a science of consciousness is to investigate the relationship between first-person and third-person data, and ultimately to build a theory that integrates and explains them. I will discuss the distinction between first-person and third-person data, will lay out an agenda for the science of consciousness (with illustrations from existing work), and will discuss some challenges that lie ahead.