On the relationship between experience and consciousness
Daniel Kogel
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) April 3, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19393144 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that experience and consciousness are not separate but relationally dependent: experience is the process through which perceptual and cognitive events occur, and consciousness emerges as the structured organization of those experiences. The author contends this 'non-separability thesis' offers a coherent alternative to both reductionist and dualist accounts. |
Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between experience and consciousness and proposes a non-separability thesis: that asking whether experience is separate from consciousness is analogous to asking whether the universe is separate from reality—one emerges from and defines the other. Rather than treating experience and consciousness as identical or fundamentally distinct, this work argues that they are relationally dependent. Experience is understood as the process through which perceptual and cognitive events occur, while consciousness emerges as the structured organization of those experiences. Drawing on existing work in philosophy of mind and cognitive science, this framework offers a coherent alternative to both reductionist and dualist accounts, positioning experience and consciousness as mutually defining aspects of a single process.