Mental causation: an evolutionary perspective
Frontiers in Psychology April 29, 2024 Thurston C. Lacalli 2 citations
Consciousness and individual agency can be decoupled in two hypothetical ways: reflex pathways that incorporate conscious sensations as an intrinsic component (InCs), and consciously conditioned reflexes dependent on synaptic plasticity but not memory (CCRs). Whether these exist is unclear, and InCs are limited to theories where consciousness depends on EM field effects. Consciousness with agency, as humans experience it, requires deliberate choice of alternative actions (DCs) that depend on explicit memory systems. CCRs provide a heuristic model for how conscious inputs could refine routine behaviors while evolution optimizes qualia without agency.