A link between consciousness and the wetware of metabolism
Nick Lane
Behavioral and Brain Sciences 2026 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x25103658 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Proposes that consciousness is substrate dependent and grounded in living metabolism, arguing that in single-celled organisms fluctuations in membrane potential give an integrated real-time readout of metabolic state relative to the environment, constituting the simplest meaningful 'feeling'. |
Abstract
Abstract Seth provides a nuanced but compelling case for consciousness being substrate dependent: a product of living processes rather than computation. Here, I offer a biological underpinning for these arguments grounded in the wetware of metabolism in single-celled organisms. Fluctuations in membrane potential give an integrated real-time readout of metabolic state in relation to the environment – the simplest meaningful ‘feeling’.
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- Predictive processing as a systematic basis for identifying the neural correlates of consciousness Philosophy and the Mind Sciences December 30, 2020
- Consciousness: Matter or EMF? Frontiers in Human Neuroscience January 18, 2023
- Reflections of a Natural Scientist on Panpsychism Journal of Consciousness Studies 2021