A relational approach to consciousness: categories of level and contents of consciousness
Neuroscience of Consciousness October 1, 2021 N. Tsuchiya, H. Saigo
Characterizing consciousness directly is notoriously difficult. This paper proposes an alternative approach: defining consciousness through its relationships to all other consciousness, using category theory. The Yoneda lemma proves that two objects in a category are equivalent if and only if all their relationships to others are identical. The authors introduce key category theory concepts for consciousness researchers and propose several possible definitions of categories of consciousness, in terms of level and contents, using simple examples. They suggest using the categorical structure of consciousness as a gold standard to formalize empirical research, such as color qualia structure at fovea and periphery, and to empirically test theories of consciousness.