Consciousness as a Concrete Physical Phenomenon

Abstract

The typical approach to studying consciousness holds that we can only observe the neural correlates of experiences, not the experiences themselves. In this paper we argue, in contrast, that experiences are concrete physical phenomena that can causally interact with other phenomena, including observers. Hence, experiences can be observed and scientifically modelled. We propose that the epistemic gap between an experience and a scientific model of its neural mechanisms stems from the fact that the model is merely a theoretical construct based on observations, and distinct from the concrete phenomenon it models, namely the experience itself. In this sense, there is a gap between any natural phenomenon and its scientific model. On this approach, a neuroscientific theory of the constitutive mechanisms of an experience is literally a model of the subjective experience itself. We argue that this metatheoretical framework provides a solid basis for the empirical study of consciousness.

A neurophenomenological theory of the three worlds

“…This also calls for refraining from the inclination to split the three worlds and implementing the TTW, taking into account neurophenomenology (Olivares et al, 2015; Varela, 1996) and model-dependent realism (Hawking & Mlodinow, 2010), both promising to overcome the limits of the inflexible objectivist approach of positive sciences. The recent approach to consciousness by naturalistic monism, a physicalist stance criticizing the eliminative materialism and encompassing both model-dependent realism and Russel’s monism, is also noteworthy (Jylkkä & Railo, 2019).…”

Construction of a model as an information channel between the physical phenomenon and observer

“…There is no experimentation without a model. A model is a theoretical construction based on observations and differs from the specific phenomenon that it represents, due to which, there is a gap between any natural phenomenon and its scientific model (Jylkkäa & Railo, 2019).…”

Central Nervous System Model Theory- A Universal Model of all Neural Processes

“…What it doesn't allow us to be aware about, we term subconscious. Additionally, consciousness is not embodied in a center in the brain, but rather the result of a network of mechanisms that result in the organism being aware and 'conscious' about itself [4].…”