Human brain zero: uncovering the lowest neural state for consciousness engineering
Maël Donoso
Frontiers in Neuroscience May 8, 2026 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2026.1819370 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Property philosophy Cognition Human brain Neural substrate State computer science Human life Cognitive science Epistemology Domain mathematical analysis Cognitive psychology Artificial consciousness |
| Key points | Proposes that consciousness be treated as an emergent property of organized processes in complex adaptive systems, whether biological or artificial, and argues that the stream of human experience is a trajectory that ends at death only as a biological contingency, not a physical necessity. |
Abstract
The novel domain of consciousness engineering considers consciousness as an emergent property, sustained by organized processes within a particular class of complex adaptive systems, which could be either biological or artificial. Under this assumption, the relatively continuous stream of experience associated with human consciousness could be described as a trajectory through time, which continues as long as the underlying system, the human brain, remains functional. Following this idea, the termination of this trajectory at the end of a human life could be seen as a biological contingency, rather than a physical necessity.
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and 10 more in the library