?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=The+Common+Denominator+of+Conscious+States%3A+Implications+for+the+Biology+of+Consciousness&rft.creator=Merker%2C+Bjorn+H.&rft.subject=Theoretical+Biology&rft.subject=Cognitive+Psychology&rft.description=In+order+to+distinguish+the+conscious+state+itself+from+its+aspects+and+contents+we+need+an+answer+to+the+question+%22if+there+is+something+it+is+like+to+be+conscious%2C+what+is+it%3F%22+A+succinct+answer+to+this+question+is+provided+in+the+form+of+a+common+denominator+of+all+conscious+states.+This+characterization+of+the+conscious+state+has+implications+for+the+systematic+study+of+consciousness+through+its+bearing+on+a+number+of+concrete+issues+connected+with+the+nature+of+consciousness+and+its+relation+to+the+biology+of+brains+and+their+evolution.+These+are+discussed+with+a+view+to+delineating+the+characteristics+of+consciousness%2C+suggesting+the+primary+functional+role+of+consciousness+in+the+total+economy+of+brain+functions%2C+and+exploring+the+tractability+of+the+problem+of+consciousness+from+the+standpoint+of+ordinary+science.+1997&rft.date=1997-12&rft.type=Preprint&rft.type=NonPeerReviewed&rft.format=text%2Fplain&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F179%2F1%2FCOGCONSC.TXT&rft.identifier=++Merker%2C+Bjorn+H.++(1997)+The+Common+Denominator+of+Conscious+States%3A+Implications+for+the+Biology+of+Consciousness.++%5BPreprint%5D++++(Unpublished)++&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F179%2F