里贝特是人类意识和自由意志的实验研究领域的一个卓越的、先驱性的神经科学家。里贝特的意识研究工作涉及如下四个方面(1)关于意识研究的认识论原则;(2)对意识现象本性的界定;(3)意识机制的时控理论;(4)对自由意志的阐释和有意识的心智场理论。里贝特的意识研究独树一帜,其时控理论具有坚实可信的实验证据,它从时间维度揭示了有意识的主观体验以及无意识的心智功能与神经活动之间的时间机制。
B. Libet is a pioneering neuroscientist in experimental research of human consciousness and free will. An epitome of all hislife - work in consciousness studies can be found in his later book titled Mind Time. The Temporal Factor in Consciousness. His best -known work is his experimental research on free will and his interpretation of the experimental results, but the core of all his works con-sists in the discovery of the time factor in consciousness - that is, the time - on theory of awareness - and its rich implications. His re-search on free will has arisen partly from the time - on theory of awareness. B. Libet started his consciousness studies from the fundamental question of "how are brain activities correlated with conscious ex-periences or how do they give rise to conscious experiences?" To address the question, B. Libet expanded his research into four subjectmatters (1) epistemological principles in consciousness studies; (2) how to define the phenomenal nature of consciousness; (3) timemechanism of consciousness; (4) free will and a solution to the "hard question" of consciousness. In terms of the integration and com-pleteness of investigation of consciousness, B. Libet's work is unique and distinct, especially in the empirical positivity and predictabili-ty. For the experimental approach to the problem of how to study the relationship between the brain and conscious experience, B. Libetset out two epistemological principles that must be followed : the introspective report as the operational criterion and non - a - priori rulesfor mind - brain relationship. Based on the experimental discovery of the time factor in consciousness, B. Libet proposed a time - ontheory of consciousness, and elucidated the widespread impact of the time factor on human mental functions. The time - on theory hasthree simple components : ( 1 ) To produce a conscious awareness of a sensory stimulus, appropriate brain activities must proceed for aminimum duration of about 500 millisecond (whe