A Recipe for High Cognition: Are Consciousness and Self-awareness a Matter of Numbers?
Jose Luis Perez Velazquez, Vera Nenadovic
Being and becoming January 1, 2021 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-78264-1_6 (opens in new tab) via Springer Nature
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe idea that greater complexity in the nervous system—more brain cells and interconnected neural circuits—leads to higher intelligence and a sense of personal identity is examined. The work addresses what this complexity implies for consciousness and self-awareness, arguing that as neural complexity increases, the likelihood of these phenomena emerging also rises. It explores the relationship between structural complexity in the brain and the development of self-awareness and conscious experience, suggesting a direct link between neural organization and subjective identity.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Complexity Enaction Reflex arc Corollary discharge Cognition |
| Key finding | Argues that the link between neural complexity and consciousness or self-awareness is not straightforward and requires critical examination. |
Abstract
An idea that has been permeating is that as more complexity in simple terms more brain cells and connected neural circuits develops in the nervous system, the more likely it is that high intelligence and the sense of personal identity arises. We will address this issue of complexity in the nervous system and what it says about consciousness and self-awareness.