A theory of consciousness: computation, algorithm, and neurobiological realization
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The most enigmatic aspect of consciousness is the fact that it is felt, as a subjective sensation. This particular aspect is explained by the theory proposed here. The theory encompasses both the computation that is presumably involved and the way in which that computation may be realized in the brain's neurobiology. It is assumed that the brain makes an internal estimate of an individual's own evolutionary fitness, which can be shown to produce an irreducible, distinct cause. Communicating components of the fitness estimate (either for external or internal use) requires inverting them. Such inversion can be performed by the thalamocortical feedback loop in the mammalian brain, if that loop is operating in a switched, dual-stage mode. A first (nonconscious) stage produces forward estimates, whereas the second (conscious) stage inverts those estimates. It is argued that inversion produces irreducible, distinct, and spatially localized causes, which are plausibly sensed as the feeling of consciousness.
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