Mind Group
Unconscious Perception and Unconscious Bias:
About Unconscious Content
The possibilities of unconscious perception and unconscious bias prompt parallel debates about unconscious mental content. In this article, I argue that claims within these debates alleging the existence of unconscious content are made fraught by ambiguity and confusion with respect to the two central concepts they involve: consciousness and content. Borrowing conceptual resources from the debate about unconscious perception, I distill the two conceptual puzzles concerning each of these notions and establish philosophical strategies for their resolution. I then argue that empirical evidence for unconscious bias falls victim to these same puzzles, but that progress can be made by adopting similar philosophical strategies. Throughout, I highlight paths forward in both debates, illustrate how they serve as fruitful domains in which to study the relationship between philosophy and empirical science, and use their combined study to further understanding of a general theory of unconscious content.