Consciousness, brains and the replica problem

Summary

Our conscious experience, while linked to brain activity, isn't as straightforward as a one-to-one connection. This analysis reveals that any interruption in consciousness, even briefly, fundamentally disrupts our continuous sense of self. Using mathematical models from nonlinear dynamics and neurocognitive science, researchers demonstrate that consciousness requires unbroken continuity to maintain personal identity.

Abstract

Although the conscious state is considered an emergent property of the underlying brain activity and thus somehow resides on brain hardware, there is a non-univocal mapping between both. Given a neural hardware, multiple conscious patterns are consistent with it. Here we show, by means of a simple {\em gedankenexperiment} that this has an important logic consequence: any scenario involving the transient shutdown of brain activity leads to the irreversible death of the conscious experience. In a fundamental way, unless the continuous stream of consciousness is guaranteed, the previous self vanishes and is replaced by a new one.

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