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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chen, Yifeng, Sanders, J. W.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.06297
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author Chen, Yifeng
Sanders, J. W.
author_facet Chen, Yifeng
Sanders, J. W.
contents A model of consciousness is proposed which, having a logical basis, lends itself to simulation using a simple mathematical model called Consciousness as Entropy Reduction (CER). The approach has been inspired by previous models such as GWT, IIT and an earlier less mainstream model called "Feature Map" in Psychology. CER considers the contents of consciousness and subconsciousness as \textit{scenarios}: a vector of patterns (or features) on various "channels" (or feature locations). In CER, a feature map itself is not consciousness but only the input \textit{scenario} into a world of possible subconscious \textit{scenarios} from which the conscious \textit{scenario} (i.e., conscious experience) is chosen. Essentially, it creates an internal simulation of the outside world. Solving problems in simulation internally as a "thought experiment" is obviously more economical than doing experiments in a real environment and lends itself to adaptability and hence is a major evolutionary advantage. CER also has connections with the Hopfield model in artificial neural networks.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_06297
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Consciousness As Entropy Reduction (Short Version)
Chen, Yifeng
Sanders, J. W.
Neurons and Cognition
Logic
A model of consciousness is proposed which, having a logical basis, lends itself to simulation using a simple mathematical model called Consciousness as Entropy Reduction (CER). The approach has been inspired by previous models such as GWT, IIT and an earlier less mainstream model called "Feature Map" in Psychology. CER considers the contents of consciousness and subconsciousness as \textit{scenarios}: a vector of patterns (or features) on various "channels" (or feature locations). In CER, a feature map itself is not consciousness but only the input \textit{scenario} into a world of possible subconscious \textit{scenarios} from which the conscious \textit{scenario} (i.e., conscious experience) is chosen. Essentially, it creates an internal simulation of the outside world. Solving problems in simulation internally as a "thought experiment" is obviously more economical than doing experiments in a real environment and lends itself to adaptability and hence is a major evolutionary advantage. CER also has connections with the Hopfield model in artificial neural networks.
title Consciousness As Entropy Reduction (Short Version)
topic Neurons and Cognition
Logic
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.06297