From Proto-Awareness to Recursive Self-Modelling: A Cross-Disciplinary Framework for Consciousness and Cognitive Complexity
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) March 16, 2026 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19047695 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Proposes that awareness emerges gradually through increasing representational complexity, distinguishing fundamental consciousness (C), proto-awareness (P), and conscious awareness (A) across stages from environmental sensitivity (P1) and biological signalling (P2) to experiential awareness (A1) and recursive self-modelling (A2), rather than arising at a sudden biological threshold. |
Abstract
This paper introduces the CPA Distinction, a conceptual framework that differentiates between fundamental consciousness (C), proto-awareness (P), and conscious awareness (A) as stages within a hierarchy of increasing representational complexity. The framework proposes that cognitive systems evolve through progressively deeper forms of environmental and self-modelling, moving from basic environmental sensitivity (P1) and biological signalling (P2) to experiential awareness (A1) and ultimately recursive self-modelling (A2). Drawing on insights from complexity science, cognitive theory, and philosophy of mind, the CPA framework interprets the emergence of awareness as a gradual expansion of representational capacity rather than a sudden biological threshold. The model also explores potential structural thresholds in system complexity that may correspond to transitions between awareness regimes, and examines implications for identity, artificial intelligence, and the philosophical “Hard Problem” of consciousness.