Temporal Integration, Bidirectional Criticality and Emergence of Consciousness Hierarchy Condensed English Version V61
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) June 18, 2026 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21270806 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Hierarchy Causality physics Consciousness Constraint computer-aided design Criticality Interval graph theory Axiom Qualia Forgetting Event particle physics Artificial intelligence Theoretical computer science Object grammar Construct python library Mechanism biology Cognitive science Representation politics Probabilistic logic |
| Key points | Proposes a hierarchical self-referential closed-loop model of consciousness quantified by temporal span, reconstruction activity, and closed-loop integrity, derived from three axioms of limited resources, survival priority, and discrete input. |
Abstract
Existing theories of consciousness focus on static causal structures while neglecting the 20-watt power constraint of the human brain and the central role of temporal dynamics. Starting from three axioms — limited resources, survival priority, and discrete input — this paper constructs a hierarchical self-referential closed-loop model of consciousness quantified by temporal span (T), reconstruction activity (A), and closed-loop integrity (C). It elucidates how the human brain dynamically allocates limited energy to different neural circuits under the 20-watt power constraint, and identifies the two most common allocation patterns: the Archival Solidification Configuration (B-Configuration) and the Self-Referential Closed-Loop Configuration (S-Configuration). The B-Configuration acts as an all-day low-power baseline, and the S-Configuration operates as an overlay built upon the B-Configuration. The paper derives the two-step emergence geometry of "folding into a loop followed by anchoring into a plane", and reveals the dual mechanism of forgetting as well as the narrative construction nature of memory. It defines qualia as endogenous calibration signals of the self-referential closed loop, and reframes the hard problem of consciousness as a parameter interval problem. Based on the bidirectional criticality effect, a five-level consciousness spectrum is delineated; language is proposed as a natural measurement scale for T, A and C, and a framework for the differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is established. The model can uniformly explain a wide range of cognitive and clinical phenomena and derive the generation threshold of AGI, with three original strengths: unified axioms, cross-domain explanatory power, and quantifiable metrics This condensed English version corresponds to the Chinese condensed Version 61 titled Temporal Integration, Bidirectional Criticality and Hierarchical Emergence of Consciousness, which was first released on June 18, 2026.