Intrinsic Awareness, the Fundamental State of Consciousness
arXiv Preprint Archive January 12, 2011 via arXiv
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA theoretical paper proposes dividing conscious experience into a fundamental state called intrinsic awareness (IA) and functions arising from it. IA is described as timeless, irreducible to smaller parts, and independent of external environment, sense organs, and cognition. The author argues that reductionism cannot be applied to analyzing IA or to a new theory of it. A methodology for investigating IA is outlined, and its relation to Chalmers' hard problem of consciousness is discussed.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Physics.gen-ph |
| Key finding | Consciousness can be divided into a fundamental, irreducible state (intrinsic awareness) and its functions, requiring a non-reductionist approach. |
Abstract
In an effort to simplify the complexity in the studies of consciousness, the author suggests to divide the conscious experiences into a fundamental state, the intrinsic awareness (IA), and functions of this fundamental state. IA does not depend on external environment, our sense organs, and our cognitions. This ground state of consciousness is timeless and irreducible to sub-constituents; therefore reductionism can apply neither to the analysis nor to the new theory of IA. The methodology for investigating IA is proposed and the relation between IA and the hard problem in consciousness proposed by Chalmers is discussed.