Single Idea 23516

[catalogued under 15. Nature of Minds / B. Features of Minds / 1. Consciousness / e. Cause of consciousness]

Full Idea

The main claim of Tononi's 'integrated information theory' is that a system is conscious to the extent that its whole generates more information than its parts.

Gist of Idea

Maybe a system is conscious if the whole generates more information than its parts

Source

Anil Seth (Being You [2021], I.3)

Book Reference

Seth,Anil: 'Being You: new science of consciousness' [Faber 2022], p.61


A Reaction

Seth seems to present this as an 'interesting' proposal. I find it unlikely that consciousness could be explain in terms of information, or that a machine constructed on this principle would thus become conscious. (Databases pass this test).