This paper examines the constraints that the free-energy principle (FEP) places on possible model of consciousness, particularly models of attentional control and imaginative experiences, including episodic memory and planning. We first rehearse the classical and quantum formulations of the FEP, focusing on their application to multi-component systems, in which only some components interact...
Higher-order Thought (HOT) theories of consciousness typically claim that conscious experience is a matter of a mental state's being represented by a HOT which is itself normally an unconscious state. Self-representational (SR) theorists have objected to HOT theory on these grounds, citing our constant awareness of our own consciousness, which they claim cannot be explained by appeal to an...