塞尔生物学的自然主义意识理论试图摆脱二元论与唯物主义彼此对立的既定范畴,既坚持意识是生物神经系统演化的结果,又坚持意识具有本体论上的实在性,不能被还原为其生物神经基础。这一意识理论的基本哲学假定是将意识现象作为一个既定事实加以承认,与坚持本体论还原的物理主义截然不同,与坚持物理与心灵相分离的传统二元论也不同。在对传统范畴的批判中,塞尔认为主观的意识现象完全可以被纳入客观的物理属性,同时意识对于物理的身体具有自上而下的因果作用力。
In Searle's Biological Naturalism, he tried to break away from the presupposed categories in dualism and materialism, and supposed that consciousness is not only the evolutionary outcome of biological neural system, but also is of reality in the ontology, which would not be reduced to its neural basis. Searle's consciousness theory presupposed that we should admit that consciousness is a certain given fact, which is absolutely different from mate- rialism that reduces or even eliminates conscious phenomena, and persist that consciousness comes from neural sys- tem. It is not the same as dualism which classifies mind and physical world into two different substances or entities. Based on criticism of traditional theory, Searle pointed out that consciousness should incorporate into physical phe- nomena and have downward causation to our nhvsical bodv.