Simultaneity of consciousness with physical reality: the key that unlocks the mind-matter problem
John Sanfey

TL;DR
This paper proposes a new fundamental principle linking consciousness directly to physical reality, suggesting consciousness can create causal freedom independently, with testable predictions differing from Integrated Information Theory.
Contribution
It introduces a deductive approach to the mind-matter problem, proposing that conscious experience can generate causal power without reliance on physical structures like IIT.
Findings
Consciousness can produce causal freedom independently of physical content.
The theory makes testable predictions about brain function that differ from IIT.
It provides a new conceptual bridge between subjective experience and physics.
Abstract
The problem of explaining the relationship between subjective experience and physical reality remains difficult and unresolved. In most explanations, consciousness is epiphenomenal, without causal power. The most notable exception is Integrated Information Theory (IIT), which provides a causal explanation for consciousness. However, IIT relies on an identity between subjectivity and a particular type of physical structure, namely with an information structure that has intrinsic causal power greater than the sum of its parts. Any theory that relies on a psycho-physical identity must eventually appeal to panpsychism, which undermines that theorys claim to be fundamental. IIT has recently pivoted towards a strong version of causal emergence, but macroscopic causal structures cannot be causally stronger than its microscopic parts without some new physical law or governing principle. The…
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