:: COMPARE ::
The short answer
Ned Block's split: access consciousness is information being available to a system's other subsystems — functional, tractable, roughly 'awareness'. Phenomenal consciousness is the qualitative feel. Conflating the two is how the hard problem gets accidentally declared solved.
Side by side
| Aspect | Phenomenal consciousness | Access consciousness |
|---|---|---|
| Definable by function | No | Yes |
| Measurable | Contested | Yes |
| The hard problem | This one | Not this one |
| Reportable | Not necessarily | By definition |
What each one means
Being awake and aware — of yourself, your thoughts and what is around you. In philosophy, the fact that there is something it is like to be you — and the open scientific question of why any physical process should feel like anything at all.
Full definition of Consciousness →The contrast above sets out how Access consciousness differs from Consciousness on the points that actually matter.