Re-examining Criteria for Consciousness: An Ontological Framework Based on "Selectivity"
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) July 6, 2026 Q Chen
A core puzzle across science and philosophy is determining whether a system possesses consciousness. Existing criteria—behavioral imitation, neural correlates, and integrated information—rely on specific theoretical assumptions, limiting their cross-framework persuasiveness. The paper argues the root problem is the search for an 'instantaneous static marker,' whereas consciousness may be a process unfolding over time. It proposes a de-subjectivized ontological criterion: the essence of consciousness is a system's possession of 'selectivity,' meaning its evolutionary behaviors cannot be fully explained by its complete history and internal parameters. Selectivity is not quantifiable by any instantaneous physical quantity; it is an emergent holistic property of long-duration sequential processes. This redirects research from hunting for instantaneous evidence toward monitoring long-term behavioral predictability, supported by an isomorphic mathematical model and structural resonance with spacetime physics.