Ontological conceptions of information cannot account for consciousness.
Consciousness and cognition November 1, 2024 Peter Ulric Tse
Epistemological conceptions of information, based on decoding extrinsic inputs to become informed, are contrasted with ontological conceptions based on intrinsic states independent of external factors. Ontological views, such as those underlying integrated information theory or panpsychism, cannot account for consciousness. In animal brains, the only known conscious systems, decoding extrinsic inputs is central to creating consciousness and its contents. Only a specific subset of decodings should realize consciousness, because it evolved to create an evaluative experience of what is intrinsically true about the world and body, used in a perception-action cycle that affords choices for behavior to accomplish goals.