CONSCIOUSNESS: HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE?

The science of consciousness has made great strides by focusing on the behavioral and neuronal correlates of experience. However, while such correlates are important for progress to occur, they are not enough if we are to understand basic facts. For example, why the cerebral cortex gives rise to consciousness but the cerebellum does not, though it even has more neurons and appears to be just as complicated. To better understand these issues a theory of consciousness is needed. This concept is known as integrated information theory. The theory holds that consciousness is a fundamental property possessed by physical systems having specific casual properties. It predicts that consciousness is graded, is common among biological organisms and can occur in some very simple systems. In sharp contrast to widespread functionalist beliefs, integrated information theory implies that digital computers, even if their behavior were to be functionally equivalent to ours, and even if they were to run faithful simulations of the human brain, would experience next to nothing. That I am conscious, here and now, is the one fact I am absolutely certain of, all the rest is conjecture. Yet consciousness itself, the central fact of existence, still demands a rational explanation. Consciousness exists: my experience just is. Indeed, that my experience here and now exists, it is real or actual is the only truth to be concerned with. My existence stems from its own intrinsic perspective, independent of external observers.