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The strength of weak integrated information theory

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posted on 2023-06-10, 03:14 authored by Pedro A M Mediano, Fernando E Rosas, Daniel Bor, Anil SethAnil Seth, Adam BarrettAdam Barrett
The integrated information theory of consciousness (IIT) is divisive: while some believe it provides an unprecedentedly powerful approach to address the ‘hard problem,’ others dismiss it on grounds that it is untestable. We argue that the appeal and applicability of IIT can be greatly widened if we distinguish two flavours of the theory: Strong IIT, which identifies consciousness with specific properties associated with maxima of integrated information; and Weak IIT, which tests pragmatic hypotheses relating aspects of consciousness to broader measures of information dynamics. We review challenges for Strong IIT, explain how existing empirical findings are well explained by Weak IIT without needing to commit to the entirety of Strong IIT, and discuss the outlook for both flavours of IIT.

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Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Trends in Cognitive Sciences

ISSN

1364-6613

Publisher

Elsevier

Issue

8

Volume

26

Page range

646-655

Department affiliated with

  • Informatics Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2022-04-26

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2022-08-15

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2022-04-25

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