Towards a theory of consciousness: Proposal for the resolution of the homunculus fallacy with predictions

The Turing test is neither necessary nor sufficient for determining whether a machine is conscious, and it fails to provide testable predictions. A model of consciousness should explain function through structure, and must address the homunculus fallacy regarding representations. A proposed solution uses reflexive architectures, which generate computational constraints that yield testable predictions about the dynamical behavior of biological substrates. These predictions align well with recent experimental observations.

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Abstract

In this paper we argue that no forms of Turing test are either necessary or sufficient to establish if a machine is conscious or not. Furthermore, from a modeling point of view, the problem is that the Turing test does not really provide testable predictions. We believe that the model structure should explain the function (of consciousness). We argue that the cornerstone of any model on consciousness is to (partly) overcome the obstacle of the homunculus fallacy about the use of representations. In this contribution a possible solution is suggested, which makes use of reflexive architectures. The emerging computational constraints on the proposed architecture have lead to testable predictions on the dynamical behavior of the biological substrate. Interestingly, these predictions are in good agreement with recent experimental observations.