An introduction to the biology of consciousness

This paper summarizes the main steps in a scientific study of consciousness. From a survey of the recent literature, it appears that: (1) there is a clear tendency to consider consciousness as a scientific object; (2) consistent subjective and objective descriptions of consciousness are possible; an intentional-modeling structure accounts for its main features; (3) from the evolutionary biology standpoint, conscious cognitive activities, as based on models of the self, the world and the alter-ego, have a functional value; (4) the material basis of consciousness can be clarified without recourse to new properties of the matter or to quantum physics. Current neurobiology, based on classical macrophysics, appears able to handle the problem. In this scope, the neurobiology of sleep-wakefulness and attention, and neuropsychology, have already achieved substantial advances.