Consciousness as a State of Matter
arXiv Preprint Archive May 2, 2014 via arXiv
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractConsciousness may be understood as a special state of matter called "perceptronium," which has unique information processing abilities. Five basic principles—information, integration, independence, dynamics, and utility—distinguish conscious matter from ordinary physical systems like solids, liquids, and gases. This idea extends Giulio Tononi's integrated information framework for neural-network-based consciousness to any quantum system, and it links consciousness to error-correcting codes, condensed matter criticality, and the emergence of time.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Physics.pop-ph Consciousness Awareness Mind Sentience |
| Key finding | Consciousness can be understood as a state of matter, perceptronium, distinguished by five principles that generalize integrated information theory to quantum systems. |
Abstract
I examine the hypothesis that consciousness can be understood as a state of matter, "perceptronium", with distinctive information processing abilities. I explore five basic principles that may distinguish conscious matter from other physical systems such as solids, liquids and gases: the information, integration, independence, dynamics and utility principles. This approach generalizes Giulio Tononi's integrated information framework for neural-network-based consciousness to arbitrary quantum systems, and provides interesting links to error-correcting codes and condensed matter criticality, as well as an interesting connections between the emergence of consciousness and the emergence of time. (For more technical details, see arXiv:1401.1219).