Separating the conscious wheat from the unconscious chaff: Towards a biologically grounded computationalism.
Matthew E Larkum, Jaan Aru, Christopher J. Whyte, James M Shine
Behavioral and Brain Sciences September 17, 2026 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x25103725 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that identifying which biological features are necessary for consciousness, across scales, is vital for assessing computationalism's limits, and that this would lead to a more biologically informed computationalism that future machines could in principle instantiate, but only after much deeper biological understanding. |
Abstract
We agree that consciousness, as we know it, is inextricably biological - but not every biological detail is essential. Identifying which features are necessary, across scales, is vital for assessing the limits of computationalism. This process will reveal a richer, more biologically informed computationalism - one that future machines could, in principle, instantiate, but only after much deeper biological understanding.
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- Human high-order thalamic nuclei gate conscious perception through the thalamofrontal loop. Science April 4, 2025
- Does brain activity cause consciousness? A thought experiment PLoS Biology June 10, 2022
- Does neural computation feel like something? Frontiers in Neuroscience 2025
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- Neuronal connected burst cascades bridge macroscale adaptive signatures across arousal states. Nature Communications October 27, 2023
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