Towards a Theory-Neutral Evaluation Protocol for Consciousness Theories: The Consciousness Theory Evaluation Protocol

Over 340 distinct theories of consciousness exist without a common evaluation framework. The Consciousness Theory Evaluation Protocol (CTEP) v1.0 provides a theory-neutral instrument for assessing any such theory. It organizes evaluation around seven questions scored on four criteria—coherence, sufficiency, discriminability, and parsimony—arranged in a three-tier dependency hierarchy, producing a structured profile of twenty-eight scored cells rather than a binary verdict. As a proof of concept, CTEP was applied to Global Neuronal Workspace Theory, Integrated Information Theory, Orchestrated Objective Reduction, and the Infinite Continuum framework, with evaluations conducted by two independent LLM evaluators using identical source texts. A multi-evaluator panel architecture with a synthesis layer is proposed for distinguishing stable, contested, and artefact findings. CTEP v1.0 is offered as a starting point for community development.

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Abstract

The scientific study of consciousness encompasses more than 340 distinct theoretical proposals with no agreed framework for evaluating them against common standards. This paper proposes the Consciousness Theory Evaluation Protocol (CTEP) v1.0, a theory-neutral instrument applicable to any theory of consciousness regardless of its ontological commitments. CTEP organises evaluation around seven questions assessed against four criteria: coherence, sufficiency, discriminability, and parsimony, arranged in a three-tier dependency hierarchy. It produces a structured profile of twenty-eight scored cells rather than a binary verdict. The protocol is applied as a proof of concept to four major theories: Global Neuronal Workspace Theory, Integrated Information Theory, Orchestrated Objective Reduction, and the Infinite Continuum framework. Evaluations were conducted by two independent LLM evaluators using identical source texts. A multi-evaluator panel architecture with a synthesis layer for distinguishing stable, contested, and artefact findings is proposed as the full implementation model. CTEP v1.0 is offered as a starting point for community development.