--- abstract: Evolutionary explanations of psychological phenomena have become widespread. This paper examines a recent attempt by Nichols and Grantham (2000) to circumvent the problem of epiphenomenalism in establishing the selective status of consciousness. Nichols and Grantham (2000) argue that a case can be made for the view that consciousness is an adaptation based on its complexity. I set out this argument and argue that it fails to establish that phenomenal consciousness is a complex system. It is suggested that the goal of establishing consciousness as an adaptation may be better served by rejecting the distinction between access consciousness and phenomenal consciousness. altloc: [] chapter: ~ commentary: ~ commref: ~ confdates: ~ conference: ~ confloc: ~ contact_email: ~ creators_id: - stie0076@umn.edu creators_name: - family: Stieg given: 'Chuck ' honourific: '' lineage: '' date: 2004 date_type: completed datestamp: 2008-08-24 10:56:25 department: ~ dir: disk0/00/00/61/73 edit_lock_since: ~ edit_lock_until: ~ edit_lock_user: ~ editors_id: [] editors_name: [] eprint_status: archive eprintid: 6173 fileinfo: /style/images/fileicons/other.png;/6173/1/PConsciousness%26ComplexitysubmitPhenom%26CogSci2.doc|/style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png;/6173/2/PConsciousness%26ComplexitysubmitPhenom%26CogSci2.pdf full_text_status: public importid: ~ institution: ~ isbn: ~ ispublished: unpub issn: ~ item_issues_comment: [] item_issues_count: 0 item_issues_description: [] item_issues_id: [] item_issues_reported_by: [] item_issues_resolved_by: [] item_issues_status: [] item_issues_timestamp: [] item_issues_type: [] keywords: 'Consciousness, Evolutionary Psychology, Function, Complexity' lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:57:10 latitude: ~ longitude: ~ metadata_visibility: no_search note: ~ number: ~ pagerange: ~ pubdom: FALSE publication: ~ publisher: ~ refereed: FALSE referencetext: "Appelbaum, I. 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Revonsuo and M. \r\nKamppinen (Eds.), Consciousness in philosophy and cognitive neuroscience (pp. 173-203). \r\nHillsdale, NJ: LEA.\r\n\r\n\r\n" relation_type: [] relation_uri: [] reportno: ~ rev_number: 36 series: ~ source: ~ status_changed: 2008-08-24 10:56:25 subjects: - phil-mind - phil-epist - phil-sci - cog-psy - phil-metaphys - evol-psy succeeds: ~ suggestions: ~ sword_depositor: ~ sword_slug: ~ thesistype: ~ title: Is Phenomenal Consciousness a Complex Structure? type: other userid: 8142 volume: ~