Consciousness as Integrated Information: a Provisional Manifesto
Biological Bulletin December 1, 2008 Giulio Tononi 1,522 citations
Integrated information theory (IIT) proposes that consciousness is identical to integrated information. The quantity of consciousness corresponds to the amount of integrated information (Phi) generated by a complex of elements, while the quality of experience is specified by the set of informational relationships within that complex, represented as a shape in qualia space (Q). This framework explains several observations about the neural substrate of consciousness, including its association with certain neural systems, the influence of conscious processes on unconscious ones, the reduction of consciousness during dreamless sleep and seizures, and the role of cortical architecture in shaping experience. Equating consciousness with integrated information carries implications for how we understand nature.