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Can there be a scientific theory of consciousness?

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Philosophers and scientists have long pondered the nature of consciousness, but only a few modern theories have the chops to explain it. ... But while philosophical approaches can be useful, they do not constitute testable theories of consciousness, scientists say. read more

Fixing the methodology doesn’t prove there will be a scientific theory. Of course, if the methodology problems are fixable, that doesn’t guarantee there will be a single, detailed, complete, scientific theory of conscious experience. It only means that we can rationally reject the view that ‘there can’t be a theory’ . read more

But while philosophical approaches can be useful, they do not constitute testable theories of consciousness, scientists say."The only thing you know is, 'I am conscious.' Any theory has to start with that," said Christof Koch, a neuroscientist and the chief scientific officer at the Allen Institute for Neuroscience in Seattle. read more

Tononi has developed and refined what he calls the integrated information theory (IIT) of consciousness. An Integrated Theory IIT is based on two axiomatic pillars. First, conscious states are highly differentiated; they are informationally very rich. You can be conscious of an uncountable number of things: you can watch your son’s piano recital, for instance; you can see the flowers in the garden outside or the Gauguin painting on the wall. read more

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