Cognitive psychology is considered by some theorists to have subsumed "third force" views of consciousness. The purpose of the present article is to show that the cybernetic conceptions of cognitive psychology do not explain the qualities of consciousness considered fundamental to existentialists. It is our contention that feedback principles are inadequate to explain self-awareness, volition, and futurity. The core of this inadequacy lies in cognitive psychology's assumption about human reasoning. Cognitive psychologists are shown to rely exclusively upon demonstrative reasoning, whereas existential psychologists are shown to emphasize dialectical reasoning.
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