Neural Darwinism and consciousness

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Philosophy of Mind

Background:

• Neural Darwinism (ND) proposes a selectionist framework for brain development and function.
• Consciousness is hypothesized to emerge from reentrant interactions within the thalamocortical system, termed the 'dynamic core'.
• These interactions offer evolutionary advantages by integrating perception with learned values.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the consistency of Neural Darwinism with 16 established properties of consciousness.
• To assess the explanatory power of ND for both physiological and phenomenal aspects of conscious experience.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of Neural Darwinism theory against a list of 16 recognized properties of consciousness.
• Examination of both physiological correlates (e.g., thalamocortical activity patterns) and phenomenal characteristics (e.g., subjective experience) of consciousness.

Main Results:

• Neural Darwinism demonstrates a strong alignment with numerous physiological properties of consciousness, such as widespread, rapid, low-amplitude thalamocortical interactions.
• The theory also shows consistency with key phenomenal aspects of conscious experience.
• While not a complete explanation, ND provides a robust framework for understanding consciousness.

Conclusions:

• Neural Darwinism offers a compelling theoretical basis for understanding the emergence and nature of consciousness.
• The theory's compatibility with a wide range of conscious properties supports its continued investigation.
• Further research into ND and its extensions is warranted to fully elucidate the neural basis of consciousness.