--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: distinguish the mere correlates of…" description: "\"“distinguish the mere correlates of consciousness from the genuine signatures of consciousness. Although the quest for the brain mechanisms of consciou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/stanislas-dehaene-28546_adventure_distinguish-the-mere-correlates-of-consc_2569793.jpg" --- # distinguish the mere correlates of consciousness from the… ![“distinguish the mere correlates of consciousness from the genuine signatures of consciousness. Although the quest for the brain mechanisms of conscious experience is often described as a search for neural correlates of consciousness, this phrase is inadequate. Correlation is not causation, and a…” quote by Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/stanislas-dehaene-28546_adventure_distinguish-the-mere-correlates-of-consc_2569793.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/stanislas-dehaene-28546_adventure_distinguish-the-mere-correlates-of-consc_2569793.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/stanislas-dehaene-28546_adventure_distinguish-the-mere-correlates-of-consc_2569793.jpg) > ““distinguish the mere correlates of consciousness from the genuine signatures of consciousness. Although the quest for the brain mechanisms of conscious experience is often described as a search for neural correlates of consciousness, this phrase is inadequate. Correlation is not causation, and a mere correlate is therefore insufficient. Too”” [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Distinguishing mere correlations from true causes is essential for understanding consciousness. **In simple terms:** Correlations aren't causation in consciousness. Key Takeaway Seek causal evidence, not just links. Themes science consciousness methodology Mood analytical critical Type philosophical scientific When to use this quote - research design - clinical studies - AI modeling - education Key Concepts neuroscience philosophy causality Questions to Reflect On - How can we identify genuine consciousness markers? - What methods reveal causality? A Different Perspective Correlations can be misleading without context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Consciousness Genuine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness-genuine-1680565/) [Correlates Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/correlates-consciousness-1680564/) [Mere Correlate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mere-correlate-1680567/) [Neural Correlates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neural-correlates-1680566/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Signatures Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signatures-consciousness-1680568/) ## Related quotes > [“You're never alone if you're with your soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-armond-powell/you-re-never-alone-if-you-re-with-your-soul/) [Gerard Armond Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-armond-powell/) > [“The vision teller tells the vision to unguarded minds' of prey. The programmed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/the-vision-teller-tells-the-vision-to-unguarded-minds-of-prey-the/) [T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/) > [Floating in and out of consciousness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/floating-in-and-out-of-consciousness/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [So many people are passive participants in their very short time of having a consciousness, and those who aren't inspire me. Like Malala Yousafzai…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-gelulla/so-many-people-are-passive-participants-in-their-very-short-time-of/) [Dylan Gelulla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-gelulla/) > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) > [“Entropy is the normal state of consciousness—a condition that is neither useful nor enjoyable. To avoid this condition, people are naturally eager to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/entropy-is-the-normal-state-of-consciousness-a-condition-that-is/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [“People and situations always show us what we need to see and learn about ourselves, and when we take responsibility for our own feelings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-mada-dalian/people-and-situations-always-show-us-what-we-need-to-see-and-learn/) [Eliza Mada Dalian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-mada-dalian/) > [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [“I now argue that entry into Upper Palaeolithic caves was probably seen as virtually indistinguishable from entry into the mental vortex that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-now-argue-that-entry-into-upper-palaeolithic-caves-was-probably/) [James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/) > [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) ## More by Stanislas Dehaene > [“The notion that the world is mostly made up of small sets is an illusion imposed on us by our perceptual and cognitive systems.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/the-notion-that-the-world-is-mostly-made-up-of-small-sets-is-an/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“An innate sense of approximate numerical quantities may well be embedded in our genes; but when faced with exact symbolic calculation, we lack proper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/an-innate-sense-of-approximate-numerical-quantities-may-well-be/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“These three ingredients—focusing on conscious access, manipulating conscious perception, and carefully recording introspection—have transformed the study of consciousness into a normal experimental science.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/these-three-ingredients-focusing-on-conscious-access-manipulating/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“...the opacity of a numeration system takes an important toll on language acquisition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/the-opacity-of-a-numeration-system-takes-an-important-toll-on/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“By definition, we have no access to our many unconscious processes—but this does not prevent us from making up stories about them. For instance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/by-definition-we-have-no-access-to-our-many-unconscious-processes-but/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“progressive enrichment of children’s intuitions, leaning heavily on their precocious understanding of quantitative manipulations and of counting. One should first arouse their curiosity with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/progressive-enrichment-of-children-s-intuitions-leaning-heavily-on/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“A stream of symbols appears at the same location on a computer screen. Most of the symbols are digits, but some are letters, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/a-stream-of-symbols-appears-at-the-same-location-on-a-computer-screen/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“...numbers rule our lives. Indeed, they lie at the heart of our technology.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/numbers-rule-our-lives-indeed-they-lie-at-the-heart-of-our-technology/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“In many experiments, the boundary between seeing and not seeing is relatively sharp: an image is downright invisible when presented for 40 milliseconds, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/in-many-experiments-the-boundary-between-seeing-and-not-seeing-is/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“What counts as genuine consciousness, I will argue, is conscious access-the simple fact that usually, whenever we are awake, whatever we decide to focus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/what-counts-as-genuine-consciousness-i-will-argue-is-conscious-access/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“An important consequence of these observations is that our consciousness of unexpected events lags considerably behind the real world. Not only do we consciously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/an-important-consequence-of-these-observations-is-that-our/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“In point of fact, the greater one’s science, the deeper the sense of mystery. —Vladimir”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/in-point-of-fact-the-greater-one-s-science-the-deeper-the-sense-of/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“glued to the top of the head. On conscious trials only, an ample voltage wave sweeps through this region. It starts around 270 milliseconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/glued-to-the-top-of-the-head-on-conscious-trials-only-an-ample/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“Conscious access is also the gateway to more complex forms of conscious experience. In everyday language, we often conflate our Consciousness with our sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/conscious-access-is-also-the-gateway-to-more-complex-forms-of/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) > [“...an arthropod with twenty-one body segments and forty-two legs, is commonly called a centipede (one hundred feet) in English and a "mille-pattes" (thousand legs)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/an-arthropod-with-twenty-one-body-segments-and-forty-two-legs-is/) [Stanislas Dehaene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) [Explore all 19 Stanislas Dehaene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/) ## More Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) [Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/) > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) [Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) [Kevin McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mcleod/) > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/) [Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) [Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“distinguish the mere correlates of consciousness from the genuine signatures of consciousness. Although the quest for the brain mechanisms of conscious experience is often described as a search for neural correlates of consciousness, this phrase is inadequate. Correlation is not causation, and a mere correlate is therefore insufficient. Too”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stanislas Dehaene" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/distinguish-the-mere-correlates-of-consciousness-from-the-genuine/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adventure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/distinguish-the-mere-correlates-of-consciousness-from-the-genuine/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/stanislas-dehaene-28546_adventure_distinguish-the-mere-correlates-of-consc_2569793.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/stanislas-dehaene-28546_adventure_distinguish-the-mere-correlates-of-consc_2569793.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/stanislas-dehaene-28546_adventure_distinguish-the-mere-correlates-of-consc_2569793.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“distinguish the mere correlates of consciousness from the genuine signatures of consciousness. Although the…” — Stanislas Dehaene", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Stanislas Dehaene", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislas-dehaene/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“distinguish the mere correlates of consciousness...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/distinguish-the-mere-correlates-of-consciousness-from-the-genuine/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislas-dehaene/distinguish-the-mere-correlates-of-consciousness-from-the-genuine/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```