A new theory of consciousness, the Extended Information Theory (EIT), proposes that the simplest forms of experience are not sensations but perceptions where qualitative aspects have relational significance. Phenomenal analysis of early visual experience reveals a nested Hierarchy of Spatial Belongings, indicating that conscious contents extend into the space they belong to. This extension allows immediate knowledge of structural aspects of the physical world. Functionally, consciousness handles extended information, unlike non-conscious systems that process point-like information, potentially overcoming computational limitations. The theory differs from classical integration-based theories by emphasizing the integration of information about stimulus structure.
Conscious vision, according to Extended Information Theory, lets us know how objects extend into space, compensating for limitations of neuro-computational systems that handle point-like information. This paper explores links between spatial extension and two other properties of phenomenal experience: subjectivity and qualitative aspect. The author identifies thingness—the materialization of something extending into space—as an underlying property from which subjectivity and quality derive. Subjectivity involves a structure where a third-person world forms within a first-person world, creating egocentric knowledge. Quality conveys how something materializes based on its degree of differentiation from other qualities, transforming unconscious into conscious knowledge. A hypothesis is proposed for how qualities may originate from physical brain processes.