Nondual awareness: Consciousness-as-such as non-representational reflexivity.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Philosophy of Mind
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• The nature of consciousness remains a fundamental challenge in scientific inquiry.
• Current models often focus on contents of awareness and arousal levels, neglecting consciousness itself.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a non-representational reflexivity theory of consciousness-as-such.
• To address the lack of understanding regarding the fundamental nature of consciousness.
• To introduce an expanded map of consciousness.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical argumentation and conceptual analysis.
• Outlining an expanded map of consciousness including novel components.
• Discussing the precuneus network hypothesis in relation to the proposed theory.

Main Results:

• Consciousness-as-such is defined as a non-conceptual, nondual awareness.
• The essential property of consciousness-as-such is identified as non-representational reflexivity.
• This property renders consciousness-as-such irreducible to other conscious states or contents.

Conclusions:

• Consciousness-as-such is a distinct phenomenon with unique phenomenological, cognitive, and neurobiological characteristics.
• Non-representational reflexivity provides a framework for understanding the core nature of consciousness.
• The precuneus network is a potential neural correlate for nondual awareness and consciousness-as-such.