Kriterion - Journal of Philosophy
June 17, 2026
Asger Kirkeby-Hinrup
Abstract Central parts of the debate between theories of consciousness concern the proposed mechanism rendering a previously unconscious state X conscious. Here, I introduce a question that comes immediately before, namely why it is X – rather than some other unconscious state Y – that gets to enter the mechanism and become conscious. This is the selection problem: accounting for the mechanism...
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
2026
Asger Kirkeby-Hinrup, Elizabeth Ann Stoll
When it comes to consciousness, a central problem is a lack of clarity regarding the ontological status of the phenomenon to be explained. What kind of 'thing in the world' is consciousness? In other words, what will a naturalization of consciousness look like? Naturalization requires that every agreed property of consciousness is made continuous with the properties admitted by the natural...
Communications Psychology
November 26, 2025
Morten Overgaard, Peter Fazekas, Asger Kirkeby-Hinrup et al.
Consciousness research has long been dominated by competing grand theories, yet consensus remains elusive. We propose shifting focus toward construct-based, data-driven, and iterative approaches that identify the empirical building blocks of conscious experience and provide a more cumulative, integrative path forward for the field.
Neuroscience of Consciousness
September 24, 2025
Asger Kirkeby-Hinrup, S. Fink, Morten Overgaard
Abstract It is well known that in interdisciplinary consciousness studies there are various competing hypotheses about the neural correlate(s) of consciousness (NCCs). Much contemporary work is dedicated to determining which of these hypotheses is right (or the weaker claim is to be preferred). The prevalent working assumption is that one of the competing hypotheses is correct, and the...
Front Psychol
September 23, 2025
Asger Kirkeby-Hinrup, Andreas Stephens, Aron Balogh Sjöstrand et al.
4 citations
Methodological issues in consciousness research: theory comparison, the role of empirical evidence, and a replication crisis.
Consciousness and Cognition
September 1, 2024
Asger Kirkeby-Hinrup, Jakob Stenseke, Morten Overgaard
The recent "Conscious Turing Machine" (CTM) proposal offered by Manuel and Lenore Blum aims to define and explore consciousness, contribute to the solution of the hard problem, and demonstrate the value of theoretical computer science with respect to the study of consciousness. Surprisingly, given the ambitiousness and novelty of the proposal (and the prominence of its creators), CTM has...
Norsk Filosofisk Tidsskrift
December 12, 2023
Asger Kirkeby-Hinrup
Abstract In the debate about phenomenal unity, the assumption that consciousness appears phenomenally unified is generally taken for granted. Based on this, most debates have focused on whether consciousness is in fact unified or whether it merely appears to be. Here, I object to the premise of this debate by questioning the assumption that the way consciousness appears to us suggests it is...
Philosophy and the Mind Sciences
November 23, 2023
Asger Kirkeby-Hinrup, Morten Overgaard
In recent years increasing attention has been given to systematic comparison of theories of consciousness. Laudable practical projects have emerged in this regard, such as adversarial collaboration and the development of databases lending themselves to comparisons of empirical support for theories. In addition to the practical advances, theoretical advances have been made, such as a list of...
Neuroimage
June 1, 2023
Joel Frohlich, Tim Bayne, Julia S Crone et al.
When does the mind begin? Infant psychology is mysterious in part because we cannot remember our first months of life, nor can we directly communicate with infants. Even more speculative is the possibility of mental life prior to birth. The question of when consciousness, or subjective experience, begins in human development thus remains incompletely answered, though boundaries can be set using...
Frontiers in Psychology
2022
Asger Kirkeby-Hinrup
3 citations
I present an empirically based argument for the plausibility of misrepresentation as posited by some higher-order theories of consciousness. The argument relies on the assumption that conscious states are generated by processes in the brain. The underlying idea is that if the brain generates conscious states then misrepresentation may occur. The reason for this is that brain states can be...
Consciousness and Cognition
September 1, 2021
Asger Kirkeby-Hinrup, Peter Fazekas
5 citations
A tacit assumption in the field of consciousness studies is that the more empirical evidence a theory can explain, the better it fares when weighed against competitors. If one wants to take seriously the potential for empirical evidence to move forward debates in consciousness studies, there is a need to gather, organize, validate, and compare evidence. We present an inference to the best...
Philosophy and the Mind Sciences
July 19, 2021
Morten Overgaard, Asger Kirkeby-Hinrup
Subjective experience has often taken center stage in debates between competing conceptual theories of the mind. This is also a central object of concern in the empirical domain, and especially in the search for the neural correlates of consciousness (NCCs). By now, most of the competing conceptual theories of consciousness have become aligned with distinct hypotheses about the NCCs. These...
July 26, 2020
Morten Overgaard, Jesper Mogensen, Asger Kirkeby-Hinrup
Drawing on neuroscientific research and metacognitive theory, this groundbreaking volume examines the theoretical implications that are elicited when neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) are identified.The relationship between consciousness and the brain has concerned philosophers for centuries, yet a tacit assumption in much empirically minded consciousness research seems to be that if we...