The Inside of Consequence: Eigenlage, Internal Un-Invertibility, and the Ethics of Artificial Vulnerability
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) July 7, 2026 Arno Henning Rinker
Consciousness is often defined by capacities like perception, memory, or intelligence, but this essay argues that none of these is consciousness itself. Instead, it introduces 'Eigenlage'—the integrated own-situation of a bounded, self-maintaining system where internal condition, vulnerability, action, memory, and future possibilities are causally linked for its continuation. The theory outlines four levels, from Eigenlage as a necessary condition for consciousness attribution to Ethical Eigenlage as a welfare threshold where damage may become harm. A key AI-specific concept is 'internal un-invertibility': a digital system can be externally reversible but internally irreversible in terms of lost time, trust, and continuity. The essay warns that constructing artificial consciousness with valenced vulnerability would create possible suffering, advocating for high AI capability without affective Eigenlage.