Predictive Processing and the Epistemological Hypothesis: Solving the Hard Problem of Consciousness by Simulating a Brain Facing It

The paper argues that the hard problem of consciousness—explaining why there is subjective experience—can be addressed by combining predictive processing theory with an epistemological hypothesis: a brain that models itself as an entity facing a world generates the experience of being a conscious subject. The author proposes that consciousness arises when a predictive system simulates its own perspective, thereby solving the explanatory gap without invoking dualism or panpsychism.

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Abstract

Predictive Processing and the Epistemological Hypothesis: Solving the Hard Problem of Consciousness by Simulating a Brain Facing It