Reasoning about conscious experience with axiomatic and graphical\n mathematics
Camilo Miguel Signorelli, Quanlong Wang, Bob Coecke
arXiv (Cornell University) June 30, 2021 preprint DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2106.16061 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Axiomatic system Calculus dental Consciousness Neutrality Epistemology Pure mathematics |
| Key points | Argues that an axiomatic calculus based on process theories can formally capture aspects of consciousness, including the external/internal subjective distinction, privacy of experience, and phenomenal unity, which arise from the compositional structure of the framework. |
Abstract
We cast aspects of consciousness in axiomatic mathematical terms, using the\ngraphical calculus of general process theories (a.k.a symmetric monoidal\ncategories and Frobenius algebras therein). This calculus exploits the\nontological neutrality of process theories. A toy example using the axiomatic\ncalculus is given to show the power of this approach, recovering other aspects\nof conscious experience, such as external and internal subjective distinction,\nprivacy or unreadability of personal subjective experience, and phenomenal\nunity, one of the main issues for scientific studies of consciousness. In fact,\nthese features naturally arise from the compositional nature of axiomatic\ncalculus.\n