Towards a view from within: The contribution of Francisco Varela to the study of consciousness
PsyArXiv April 23, 2021 Renzo Carlo Lanfranco, Andrés Canales-Johnson, Boris Lucero et al. 2 citations preprint
Consciousness research faces the challenge of combining subjective experience with objective neural data. Francisco Varela pioneered empirical approaches that bridge these sources. His neurophenomenological framework integrates first-person reports with neural measures, and his team discovered gamma-band phase synchronization as a neural marker of perceptual awareness. Varela also contributed to the study of time consciousness by combining subjective reports with neural measures. This review outlines key conceptual distinctions and philosophical challenges in consciousness research, highlighting Varela's non-reductive, comprehensive methodology.