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Phenomenal consciousness: its scope and limits.

Nicholas Humphrey1

  • 1Darwin College, Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|November 13, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Phenomenal consciousness, or sentience, evolved late in life, after global mental workspace access. This study proposes a step-by-step brain evolution for sensory phenomenal content and its benefits.

Keywords:
blindsightconsciousnessphenomenal selfsentience

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Consciousness, particularly sentience (phenomenal properties), is a recent evolutionary development.
  • Global mental workspace access for cognitive processing predates phenomenal consciousness.
  • Blindsight serves as a model for non-phenomenal cognition in many species.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a sequence for the evolution of phenomenal consciousness in the brain.
  • To explore the evolutionary function and psychological benefits of a phenomenal self.
  • To model non-phenomenal cognition using blindsight.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical modeling of neural changes leading to phenomenal content.
  • Analysis of evolutionary pressures and psychological benefits.
  • Comparative cognition using blindsight as a reference.

Main Results:

  • A step-by-step hypothesis for the acquisition of phenomenal content in mental representations.
  • Identification of significant psychological advantages conferred by a phenomenal self.
  • Blindsight as an exemplar of cognition without phenomenal experience.

Conclusions:

  • Phenomenal consciousness evolved through incremental brain changes, offering crucial adaptive advantages.
  • Understanding blindsight illuminates the distinction between phenomenal and non-phenomenal cognition.
  • The evolution of a phenomenal self is a key aspect of understanding consciousness's role in life.