A New Chapter in the Quest to Understand Consciousness: Introducing ICRDAM in GNWT & IIT, and bridging the Gaps
Ram Lakhan Pandey Vimal
<rlpvimal@yahoo.co.in>Vimal, R. L. P. (2023c). A New Chapter in the Quest to Understand Consciousness: Introducing Inseparable-Complementary Dual-Aspect Monism in Global Neuronal Workspace Theory & Integrated Information Theory, and bridging the Gaps.Vision Research Institute: Living Vision and Consciousness Research, 16(3), 1-380. [Available: (Vimal, 2023c): <http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20125936>; <https://zenodo.org/records/20125936>;
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P1u4XgjgFoUFUTxjFwo5enQLS6D0AAhf/view?usp=sharing>]Abstract
This article introduces the Inseparable, Complementary, and mutually Reflective Dual-Aspect Monism (ICRDAM), a comprehensive framework that addresses the mind-brain problem, in the context of Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT) and Integrated Information Theory (IIT). ICRDAM proposes that consciousness (conscious subjective experience, CSE) and its neural-physical activity/basis/correlates (NPA/NPB/NPC) form a dual-aspect state (DAS), emphasizing their inseparability, complementarity, and reflectivity. The framework suggests that consciousness emerged late in evolution, incorporating concepts like active dynamic self (ADS), conscious subjective experiences (CSEs), and protoconsciousness-matter (protoC) for all non-conscious states. ICRDAM utilizes the concept of effective information (EI) and effective integrated information (EII) to elucidate the relationship between the subjective (s, mental) and non-subjective (ns, physical) aspects. It emphasizes the importance of dual-aspect state (DAS)-DAS interaction and proposes that consciousness emerges from the complex combination of protoconsciousness in the constituents of the brain-mind system. ICRDAM addresses the gap between 1pp CSE and correlated NPA/NPB/NPC (the hard problem of consciousness) and the gap between GNWT and IIT that caused failure of their predictions (see Appendix A3). The article discusses the implications of ICRDAM for our understanding of ourselves and the world around us, and how it can complement or enhance GNWT and IIT. The unique perspective of ICRDAM on the inseparability, complementarity, and reflectivity of consciousness and its NPA/NPB/NPC, and its focus on DAS-DAS interaction can enrich the understanding of consciousness in the context of GNWT. In the context of IIT, ICRDAM complements IIT’s focus on information integration with its own concepts of EI and EII, providing a fresh lens to view information integration in IIT.
Keywords: Consciousness; Inseparable, Complementary, and mutually Reflective Dual-Aspect Monism (ICRDAM); Mind-Brain Problem; Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT); Integrated Information Theory (IIT); Effective Integrated Information (EII); Dual-aspect state (DAS)-DAS Interaction, Protoconsciousness (protoC).
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RāmLakhan Pāndey Vimal, Ph.D.