Why Can the Brain (and Not a Computer) Make Sense of the Liar Paradox?
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution December 20, 2021 Patrick Fraser, Ricard Sole, Gemma de Las Cuevas
The human mind can handle self-referential statements without logical breakdown, unlike ordinary computers. A new model called the Strange Loop Model explains this by proposing causal feedback between two brain modules that resolves paradoxes of self-reference by unfolding them over time. The brain's metastable dynamics stop unending inferences, preventing logical inconsistencies from persisting. When logical inconsistencies are represented in this model, Integrated Information Theory reveals causal incongruence between brain subsystems, suggesting a link between self-reference and consciousness.