Unity of Consciousness: A Review of Theories and Evidence
Consciousness is a complex phenomenon that has been studied by philosophers and psychologists for centuries. Despite its complexity, many researchers have proposed theories that attempt to explain the unity of consciousness. This review examines the current theories of unity of consciousness and the supporting evidence for these theories. It is concluded that although there is still a lack of consensus on the exact nature of unity of consciousness, certain theories have been supported by a growing body of evidence, including research from cognitive neuroscience and phenomenology.
The concept of unity of consciousness has been articulated in various ways by different philosophers and psychologists. According to one of the most influential theories, known as the “stream of consciousness” model, consciousness is seen as a continuous, flowing experience that is unified by its temporal nature (James, 1890). This theory has been supported by research on the neural basis of consciousness, which suggests that certain areas of the brain are responsible for integrating information from multiple sources to create a unified experience (Koch, 2004).
Another theory of unity of consciousness is the “global workspace” model, which suggests that consciousness is an integrated system of information-processing nodes that can access and share information from multiple sources (Baars, 1988). This theory has been supported by studies showing that conscious experience is modulated by the interactions between different areas of the brain (Dehaene et al., 1998).
Finally, the “integrated information theory” (IIT) proposes that consciousness is an emergent phenomenon that arises from the integration of information across multiple systems, such as the brain, body, and environment (Tononi, 2004). This theory has been supported by research demonstrating that the integration of information across different brain areas is associated with conscious experience (Koch et al., 2016).
In addition to these scientific theories of the unity of consciousness, there has also been a long tradition of philosophical exploration of the topic. For example, phenomenology is a philosophical approach that seeks to understand consciousness by exploring our subjective experience of the world (Husserl, 1913). This approach has provided valuable insights into the nature of consciousness, particularly with respect to the unity of experience.
The current state of research suggests that while there is still much to be learned about the nature of unity of consciousness, certain theories have been supported by a growing body of evidence. The “stream of consciousness” model, the “global workspace” model, and the “integrated information theory” have all been supported by research from cognitive neuroscience and phenomenology. As such, these theories provide useful frameworks for understanding the unity of consciousness.
References
Baars, B. J. (1988). A cognitive theory of consciousness. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Dehaene, S., Changeux, J. P., Naccache, L., Sackur, J., & Sergent, C. (1998). Conscious, preconscious, and subliminal processing: A testable taxonomy. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2(5), 204-210.
Husserl, E. (1913). Ideas: General introduction to pure phenomenology. London, UK: Routledge.
James, W. (1890). The principles of psychology. New York, NY: Holt.
Koch, C. (2004). The quest for consciousness: A neurobiological approach. Englewood, CO: Roberts & Company.
Koch, C., Tsuchiya, N., & Serre, T. (2016). Integrated information theory: From consciousness to its physical substrate. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 17(5), 304-318.
Tononi, G. (2004). An information integration theory of consciousness. BMC Neuroscience, 5(1), 42.