Abstract
The protoconsciousness theory of dreaming, recently proposed by J. Allan Hobson (2009), provides a timely synthesis of dream related findings that are otherwise scattered across various disciplines of scientific enquiry, and suggests interesting new ways for how to conceptualize and empirically investigate subjective experiences during sleep. More than that, far reaching but somewhat hidden and rather speculative implications of the protoconsciousness theory yield shocking insights into who we might be and, especially, into how we may have come into existence as conscious beings. Assuming these implications will receive empirical confirmation in the future, the protoconsciousness theory of dreaming may become an integral part of scientific understanding of the development of consciousness.
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Acknowledgments
I wish to thank Katja Valli and Jennifer M. Windt for many exciting discussions on dreaming and consciousness that shaped my own views, and the National Doctoral Programme of Psychology and the Academy of Finland for funding my research.
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Noreika, V. (2014). How Does the Theory and Data Discussed in the Lectures Fit with Your Work on Dreams?. In: Tranquillo, N. (eds) Dream Consciousness. Vienna Circle Institute Library, vol 3. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07296-8_26
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07296-8_26
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