Definition:
Image consciousness can be understood as an emergent phenomenon in which visual impressions are brought together to form a coherent, subjectively experienced representation. This representation exists parallel to logical thinking and enables a holistic perception and interpretation of visual information.
Discussion:
The definition of consciousness in general and image consciousness in particular is associated with considerable difficulties. The so-called ‘hard problem of consciousness’, as formulated by David Chalmers (1995), remains unsolved. It describes the challenge of explaining how and why we have subjective, qualitative experiences.
Nevertheless, acceptance of the concept of emergence provides a fruitful approach to the study of consciousness. Emergence describes the appearance of properties or structures at a higher level of organisation that are not directly derivable from the properties of lower level components (Bedau & Humphreys, 2008). In this context, consciousness can be seen as an emergent phenomenon of complex neuronal activity.
The current discourse on image consciousness is closely linked to research on visual perception and visual working memory. Kosslyn et al. (2006) argue that mental images are based on similar neural mechanisms as visual perception itself. This supports the idea of a specific image consciousness.
Recent studies on predictive processing in the visual system (Rao & Ballard, 1999; Friston, 2005) suggest that our visual experience is not just a passive reception of information, but is actively influenced by top-down processes. This could explain how a coherent visual consciousness is formed from the wealth of visual impressions.
The idea that visual consciousness exists in parallel to logical thinking is supported by Paivio’s dual coding theory (1986). This theory postulates that cognitive processes are based on two separate but interacting systems: a verbal and a non-verbal (pictorial) system.
However, despite these advances, the exact neural correlates of visual consciousness are not yet fully understood. Further interdisciplinary research is needed to decipher the complex relationships between neuronal activity, visual processing and subjective experience.
Literature:
Bedau, M. A., & Humphreys, P. (2008). Emergence: Contemporary readings in philosophy and science. MIT press.
Chalmers, D. J. (1995). Facing up to the problem of consciousness. Journal of consciousness studies, 2(3), 200-219.
Friston, K. (2005). A theory of cortical responses. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological sciences, 360(1456), 815-836.
Kosslyn, S. M., Thompson, W. L., & Ganis, G. (2006). The case for mental imagery. Oxford University Press.
Paivio, A. (1986). Mental representations: A dual coding approach. Oxford University Press.
Rao, R. P., & Ballard, D. H. (1999). Predictive coding in the visual cortex: a functional interpretation of some extra-classical receptive-field effects. Nature neuroscience, 2(1), 79-87.