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Emergent rules of computation in the Universe lead to life and consciousness: a computational framework for consciousness

Author

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  • Soumya Banerjee

    (University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom)

Abstract

We introduce a computational framework for consciousness. We hypothesize that emergent rules of computation in the Universe lead to life and consciousness. We live in a Universe that has a substrate capable of computing or information processing. We suggest that inprinciple, any Universe that is capable of supporting information processing and has energy can evolve life and consciousness. We hypothesize that the Universe encodes rules in the form of physical laws that allow for the emergence of both life and conscious organisms. A key insight is that there are different levels ofconsciousness starting from atoms to organisms to galaxies. We propose a metric of complexity that can quantify the amount of consciousness in a system by measuring both the amount of information and the capability to process that information. We hope that this framework will allow us to better understand consciousness and design machines that are conscious and empathetic. Consciousness and life may be a general phenomenon in our information rich Universe and their maybe other structures designed or otherwise that may be capable of it. Consciousness is an emergent property of an information rich Universe that is capable of processing that information in complex myriad ways.

Suggested Citation

  • Soumya Banerjee, 2021. "Emergent rules of computation in the Universe lead to life and consciousness: a computational framework for consciousness," Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems - scientific journal, Croatian Interdisciplinary Society Provider Homepage: http://indecs.eu, vol. 19(1), pages 31-41.
    • Handle: RePEc:zna:indecs:v:19:y:2021:i:4:p:31-41
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Soumya Banerjee, 2016. "A roadmap for a computational theory of the value of information in origin of life questions," Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems - scientific journal, Croatian Interdisciplinary Society Provider Homepage: http://indecs.eu, vol. 14(3), pages 314-321.
    2. Masafumi Oizumi & Larissa Albantakis & Giulio Tononi, 2014. "From the Phenomenology to the Mechanisms of Consciousness: Integrated Information Theory 3.0," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(5), pages 1-25, May.
    3. repec:zna:indecs:v:15:y:2017:i:2:p:190-198 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Soumya Banerjee, 2016. "A roadmap for a computational theory of the value of information in origin of life questions," Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems - scientific journal, Croatian Interdisciplinary Society Provider Homepage: http://indecs.eu, vol. 14(3), pages 314-321.
    5. Soumya Banerjee, 2017. "An Immune System Inspired Theory for Crime and Violence in Cities," Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems - scientific journal, Croatian Interdisciplinary Society Provider Homepage: http://indecs.eu, vol. 15(2), pages 133-143.
    6. Tegmark, Max, 2015. "Consciousness as a state of matter," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 238-270.
    7. Soumya Banerjee, 2017. "A computational technique to estimate within-host productively infected cell lifetimes in emerging viral infections," Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems - scientific journal, Croatian Interdisciplinary Society Provider Homepage: http://indecs.eu, vol. 15(3), pages 190-198.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    emergence; consciousness; computation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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