Minimal self-models and the free energy principle

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Philosophy of Mind

Background:

• Minimal phenomenal selfhood (MPS) is the basic, pre-reflective experience of being a self.
• The body is crucial for MPS, acting as both part of the world and an enabler of existence within it.
• Recent theories propose MPS arises from self-modeling mechanisms rooted in bodily processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review conceptions of MPS and the body's role.
• To explore the Free Energy Principle (FEP) as a framework for understanding MPS mechanisms.
• To illustrate the FEP's power in explaining core constituents of minimal selfhood.

Main Methods:

• Review of theoretical accounts of minimal selfhood.
• Integration of the Free Energy Principle (FEP) and predictive coding.
• Emphasis on embodiment within predictive self-modeling.

Main Results:

• The FEP offers a unified theory of cortical function based on hierarchical generative models.
• Predictive coding and active inference highlight embodiment's role in self-modeling.
• FEP provides a framework for understanding MPS constituents: multisensory integration, interoception, agency, perspective, and mineness.

Conclusions:

• MPS can be mapped onto a hierarchical generative model within the FEP.
• The FEP framework may explain the mechanisms underlying minimal selfhood.
• This approach can form the basis for higher-level self-reference and understanding other minds.