OK, let’s jump straight in.
Inside each person’s head is a model of everything outside. This model of the universe “runs” in the physical brain, in the same way that a software program runs on a computer’s hardware. Now here’s the crucial bit: obviously, the model contains within itself a model of the person to whom the brain belongs – the self. The running of this model within a model is what we experience as consciousness.
That’s it really. In subsequent posts I hope to show how this simple theory fits nicely with most of the things we know about consciousness and the human condition. Note, for the time being, some key features of the theory:
- There is no distinction between mind and matter*. In philosophical terms, this is a monist as opposed to a dualist theory. Thinking and consciousness are regarded simply as emergent properties of a highly evolved biological system.
- Similarly, we do not need recourse to unlikely concepts such as God, the soul, or other forms of mysticism.
- In principle, a similar model could run on a physical substrate other than the human brain, for example a highly sophisticated computer. So here’s a testable prediction: eventually we will see conscious computers.
I hesitate to claim that this is an original theory. I know that others have entertained similar ideas in fields such as philosophy, psychology, neuroscience and artificial intelligence, but I’m not aware of any attempt to bring these strands together in a single, complete, coherent account, and conversely, I’m not aware of any definitive refutation of such an account. Hence this blog.
consciousnessandstuff 