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Sigmund Freud's model of the human psyche is often illustrated using an iceberg analogy. The iceberg's visible tip represents the conscious mind, which includes thoughts and perceptions that individuals are immediately aware of. However, the larger, submerged portion of the iceberg represents the unconscious mind, a reservoir of repressed desires, instincts, and memories. According to Freud, human behavior is primarily shaped by this hidden realm.
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The hidden structure of consciousness.

Bruno Forti1

  • 1Department of Mental Health, Azienda ULSS 1 Dolomiti, Belluno, Italy.

Frontiers in Psychology
|April 23, 2024
PubMed
Summary

This study proposes a hidden structure of consciousness, a Hierarchy of Spatial Belongings, to explain subjective experience and bridge the gap between the mind and brain. This framework offers a novel approach to understanding consciousness.

Keywords:
early visionexplanandumexplanatory gaphidden conscious structurehierarchy of spatial belongingsmultiple hierarchical segregationphenomenal analysis

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Science
  • Neuroscience
  • Philosophy of Mind

Background:

  • The explanatory gap between physical phenomena and phenomenal experience remains a significant challenge in understanding consciousness.
  • Existing studies have struggled to reconcile subjective qualia with objective, structural scientific explanations.
  • A new approach is needed to analyze the structural underpinnings of consciousness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a novel framework for explaining consciousness by analyzing its internal structure.
  • To bridge the explanatory gap by identifying a 'hidden structure' within consciousness itself.
  • To investigate the simplest forms of experience, specifically early visual perception, as a model.

Main Methods:

  • Phenomenal analysis of the qualitative aspects of conscious experience.
  • Identification of the simplest explanandum in the unitary set of qualities in early vision.
  • Hypothesizing a 'hidden structure' composed of a Hierarchy of Spatial Belongings.

Main Results:

  • A hypothetical 'hidden structure' of consciousness, termed Hierarchy of Spatial Belongings, is proposed.
  • Each Spatial Belonging consists of a primary content and a phenomenally negative primary space.
  • This hierarchy explains the qualitative nature of perceptual organization (object, background, detail) and the unity of early visual experience.

Conclusions:

  • The Hierarchy of Spatial Belongings offers a potential bridge between subjective experience and brain organization.
  • This structure provides a novel way to address the mind-body problem and the explanatory gap.
  • The proposed model may facilitate a more comprehensive scientific explanation of consciousness.