Speed of consciousness results: Implications for conscious agency and free will.
Behav Brain Sci June 25, 2026 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x25102963 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe speed of conscious processing is sometimes taken to imply that consciousness plays no causal role in behavior. This paper argues that the claim that consciousness is slow, together with the idea that it constructs a predictive model of the world, actually supports a view of agency where people are consciously engaged with the world as it unfolds, both in perception and in response.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Argues that the slowness of consciousness, paired with its role in marking a predictive world model, supports a view of conscious agency engaged with the unfolding world. |
Abstract
Abstract Speed of consciousness results may contribute to the popular notion that our consciousness is inefficacious. I argue that Fleming and Michel’s claim that consciousness is slow, coupled with their idea that consciousness marks a predictive world model, instead supports a view of agency in which we are consciously engaged with the world as it unfolds, both in perception and response.