Describing and explaining consciousness
Neuroscience of Consciousness April 13, 2023 DOI: 10.1093/nc/niad009
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractConsciousness is a biological feature of advanced brains, and explaining it requires first defining its functional role—why it was selected—and then tracing its evolutionary trajectory. Reasonable models exist for both aspects, offering a strong explanatory framework, though further research is needed to substantiate them.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Consciousness can be explained as a biological feature by defining its functional role and evolutionary trajectory, with reasonable models available for both. |
Abstract
AbstractConsciousness is a property of advanced brains and as such a biological feature. Explaining biological features is somewhat different from explaining physical phenomena; in the former case, the key is to first define its functional role (the reason why it was selected) and then to outline the evolutionary trajectory leading to its presence. In the case of consciousness, there are reasonable models for both. Further research is required to substantiate these models, but they offer, arguably, the best explanatory framework.