ConsciousnessViewedintheFrameworkofBrainPhaseSpaceDynamics,Criticality,and theRenormalizationGroup. GerhardWerner DepartmentofBiomedicalEngineering UniversityofTexasatAustin Abstract TosetthestageforviewingConsciousnessintermsofbrainphasespacedynamicsandcriticality,Iwillfirst reviewcurrentlyprominenttheoreticalconceptualizationsand,whereappropriate,identifyilladvisedandflawed notionsinTheoreticalNeurosciencethatmayimpedeviewingConsciousnessasaphenomenoninPhysics.I willfurthermoreintroducerelevantfactsthattendnottoreceiveadequateattentioninmuchofthecurrent Consciousnessdiscourse.AsanewapproachtoconceptualizingConsciousness,Iproposeconsideringitasa collectiveachievementofthebrain'scomplexneuraldynamicsthatisamenabletostudyintheframeworkof statespacedynamicsandcriticality.InPhysics,conceptsofphasespacetransitionsandtheRenormalization Grouparepowerfultoolsforinterpretingphenomenainvolvingmanyscalesoflengthandtimeincomplex systems.

ems.Thesignificanceoftheseconceptsliesintheiraccountingfortheemergenceofdifferentlevelsofnew collectivebehaviorsincomplexsystems,eachlevelwithitsdistinctontology,organizationandlaws,asanew patternofreality.ThepresumptionofthisproposalisthatthesubjectivityofConsciousnessistheepistemic interpretationofalevelofrealitythatoriginatesinphasetransitionsofthebrainbodyenvironmentsystem. 1.Introduction. Themetaphysicaltradition,prevailingintheWestsincethe17thCentury,viewsrealityasobjectiveinthe senseofbeingaccessibleand,inprinciple,knowabletoallobservers.Thestudyofmentalphenomenasuchas beliefs,desires,thoughts,hopes,fearsandconsciousstatesofsubjectiveexperience,generally,conflictswiththis position:itexcludestheregionofrealitytowhichthesesubjectivephenomenabelong.Yet,asweknowwellfrom personalexperience,thesephenomenadoexist.Toaccommodatethisfact,Searl[122]proposedthatthe phenomenaofsubjectivityarerealizedinthebrainasanOntologytowhichwehaveepistemicaccessintheform ofthefeaturesofoursubjectivity.Expandingonthisview,thesubjectivityoftheMentalisnotmerelyan epistemologicalfact;rathertheepistemicaccesspointstowardsa(physical)ontologywhoseintrinsicproperties (onticstates)areepistemicallyaccessibleasthefeaturesofsubjectivity(foronticandepistemicstates,see Section3.3).Thus,thecentralgoalofthisessayistointroduceapointofviewthattheOntologyoftheSubjective isconstitutedwithintheframework,andundertheauspices,ofthelawsofPhysicsandBiology.Emphatically,this isnottoadvocatea"naturalisticdualism"inthemannerenvisaged,forinstance,byChalmers[30]forclosingthe gapbetweenconsciousnessandtheontologyofnaturalsciences.Rather,ittakesintoaccountthatbiological systemsgenerally[105]andbrainsinparticular(forarecentreview[31])arecomplexdynamicalsystemspoisedat criticality.Inthiscase,levelsofobservation(and,thus,reality)arerelatedbyphasetransitionswhicharethe subjectofcriticalphenomenaincomplexsystemsofnonequilibriumstatisticalmechanics[61,140].Theyare knowntoleadtothecollectiveemergenceofmultiplelevelsoforganization,eachwithitsownontology,and epistemicdescriptorsastheknowledgethatisempiricallyavailableaboutaphysicalsystem'sintrinsicproperties. AspecificaspectofthispointofviewistheideaoftheRenormalizationgroup[67]whichconsidersReality composedofahierarchyoflevels,relatedtooneanotherbyphasetransition,witheachlevelrepresentinganew ontologyasa(qualitatively)newpatternofReality[112].IsuggestthattheOntologyoftheSubjectiveisoneof theselevelsofReality,arisingintheRenormalizationGrouptransformationofthebrain'sphasespacedynamics; andthattheepistemicaccesstoitconstitutesourSubjectivity.Forearlierpublicationsdiscussingaspectsofthis lineofthought,see[165,166].ThecontentionisthatthestructuralfeaturesoftheOntologyofSubjectivity correspondtothestructureofconsciousness,ofwhichsomeofthephenomenologicalcharacteristicsareitsunity, thevaryingdegreetowhichitcanbeassociatedwithothermentalfaculties,itsassociationwithintentionality,

andselfattributionandreportabilityofmentalstates,tolistbutafew.Tosidesteptheconstraintsof Phenomenology,theproponentsofNeurosciencestudiesofconsciousnessproposedseverallists ofobservationallytestableindicatorsforconsciousnessinhumans[52,121,126,129].Contraveningthechargeof anthropocentrismofconsciousnessstudies,G.M.Edelmanetal[51]andD.B.EdelmanandSeth[50]discusseda programmaticframeworkfordeterminingnecessaryconditionsthatwouldascertainfeaturesofconsciousnessin nonmammalianspecies:avianspeciespassedthetest,butthecaseforCephalopodesremainsundecided.Seth [124]askstheimportantquestion:"DoesConsciousnesshaveafunction?andifso,whatmightitbe?Interestin thisquestionis,inpart,duetoseekingguidancefordesigningartificialconsciousness.Inviewofconsciousnessnot beingaunitaryphenomenon,itisusefultodistinguishaprimaryconsciousnessforongoingperceptualmotor adaptabilityinthepresentfromthehigherorderconsciousnessofselfreflectionandinterpretativefunctionality. Inanycase,however,thecapacityforgloballymobilizingandintegratingseparateandindependentfunctions seemstobeadistinctiveproperty[11]. Noticehowdecisivelytheproposedoutlookdiffersfromtheapproachestothe'MindBody'relationthatseeks togroundsubjectivephenomena(inpartalsothoseofFolkPsychology)reductivelyinabiologicalphysical ontology.Theinadequacyofthisattemptis,inpart,evidentfromthestrictlyinternaliststanceofthe"NewWave Reductionism"[25,156]ofrisingpopularity.Internalismisalsoaliabilityinconsideringneuralandphysical processesorstatesascorrelated[109].Stillmoredamaging,however,istheconfoundingofcorrelationwith causation. Thenotionof"NeuralCorrelatesofConsciousness"proposedbyKoch[86,148])asthe"minimal neuronalmechanismsjointlysufficientforanyonespecificconsciouspercept"isatbestoflimitedvalue,atworst misleadingsincecorrelationmustnotbetakenasevidenceofcausalityexceptinthecontextofanappropriate theoreticalframework[5,57,58].Butthisismissing.Indistinction,theExplanatoryCorrelatesofSeth [123]intendedtoaccountforessentialfeaturesofconsciousness,meetthisrequirementbybeinganchoredin existingtheories.Byvirtueofthis,theycanalsosetthestageforsimulationmodelsandpossibilitiesfordesigning consciousartifacts[35].Thediscussionoftheseissueswillbetakeninthefollowingsections. 3.Thebackground 3.1Oncurrentneurobiologicaltheoriesofconsciousness Ingeneralterms,manycurrenttheoriesofbrainfunctionattributeasignificantroletoneuronalsynchronyat amesoormacroscopiclevel.InthewakeofVarela'setal[158]publicationontheBrainWeb,thecoordination ofactivitybetweenneuronsandneuronassembliesbyphasesynchronyofneuronfiringpatternsbecamean intenselystudiedresearchtopic,motivatedinpartbyseekingtoascertainitspotentialrelevanceforperformance inpsychophysicaltestsand,possibly,alsoforconsciousness:citingmerelyafewrecentreviews:Varelaand Thompson[157],Mellonietal[98],Uhlhaasetal[155].Acollectionofpapersin"DynamicCoordinationinthe Brain:fromNeuronstoMind"[159]alsodiscussestheseandvariousrelatedaspects.Consequences ofsynchronousactivityofneuronsintheformofneuronaldischargepatterns,membranepotentialsorasfield potentialsmaybevariouslydescribedintermsofcouplingorcoordinatingactivity,implyingsomeformof informationsharing.However,synchronydoesnotnecessarilycapturethetotalityofinformationalsharingthat mayobtain,nordoforvariousreasons,crosscorrelationsormutualinformation,asKlinkneretal[84]proved.A newmeasureof'InformationalCoherence'forestimatingtheneuralinformationsharingandcoordinated activity,designedbytheseauthors,isbasedonmutualinformationofdynamicalstates(constructedascausal statemodels),ratherthanmerelyobservables.TheanalysisbyKlinkeretalwarrantssomereluctanceto acceptingphasesynchronyasmeaningfulmeasure,andTononiandLaureys[147]raiseadditionalargumentsfor skepticismregardingtheintuitivelyappealing,thoughconceptuallymissinglinkbetweenneuronalsynchrony(or itsinformationalequivalent)ontheonehand,andthe"binding"ofelementsofneuralactivitytounified

percepts. Amongneurobiologicaltheoriesofconsciousness,(see,forinstance[87][,Iturninthefollowingtothe frameworkoftheNeuronalGroupSelectiontheory[52,53]becauseofitsdetailedformulation,andthemultiple ramificationsitengenders.Itfeaturesprominentlythethedynamicinteractionamongwidelydistributedgroupsof neuronsviareentrantandreciprocalmapping[52],Amongthoseinteractions,thethalamocorticalsystemis thoughttooccupyaprivilegedroleasthe'dynamiccore.Performanceincomputationalsimulationsare interpretableintermsofgenerallyrecognizedpropertiesofconsciousness[129].Thenotionofthereentrant dynamicisalsoreadilycompatiblewiththeimaginativesynthesisofevidencefromPsychology,whichBaars [14]introducedasthe'Globalworkspacetheory'ofconsciousexperience.Baarsdevelopeditsprinciples subsequentlytoa'cognitivetheoryofconsciousness'[11,12,13]accordingtowhichmultipleprocessors dynamicallyconstitutecontextdependentcoalitionsforgainingaccesstoalimitedcapacityglobalworkspace.This principlehasbecomeacentralcomponentintheNeuronalGroupframeworkaswellasrelatedconstellationof ideas.Remarkably,arobotdesignedontheinformationflowprinciplesofthistheorydisplayedanticipationand planningbasedoninternalsimulationofinteractionswiththeenvironment,aswellasactionselectionmediated byanaffectlikevaluationfunction[132].IwillreturntothisissueinSection3.3.Inaseparateandextendedseries ofstudies,Dehaene,Changeuxandcolleagues[44,45]implementedglobalworkspacearchitecturesas"neuronal globalworkspace"forcomparisonwithperformanceinpsychophysicaltests,andtodissectconscious, preconsciousandsubliminalformsofprocessing[43,46].Foramoredetailedaccountofthisremarkable convergenceoffoundationalideasofvariedoriginandnature,Irefertomypreviousreview[168].Finally,Wallace [161,162]contributedtwoelegantmathematicaltheoriesoftheglobalworkspaceideatowhichIwillreturnin Sections4and5. Thedynamiccoretheoryengenderedseminalideasdesignedtoprobemoredeeplysomeaspectsofits functionalrepertoire:oneofthemisthedefinitionofacomplexitymeasureforthebrain[153,154].The approachrestsontheintuitionthatcognitionwouldrequireintegrationofmultipledisparatesources(subsystems) inthebrain[52].Complexity,inthepresentcontextmeansinterdependenceamongsubsystems.Itcanbe estimatedasthestatisticalmeasureofMutualInformationsharedbysubsystems:accordingly,theirindependence isreflectedinalow,andtheirintegrationinahighvalueofthismeasure.Computationalmodelsfeaturing reciprocalandparallelconnectionsamongfunctionallysegregatedgroupsofneuronsexhibitspontaneouslyhigh valuesoftheMutualInformationsharedbytheconstituentneurongroups,asdocorticalconnectionmatrices basedonneuroanatomicaldatafrommacaquevisualcortex,implementedasdynamicalsystems[138,139]:these corticalconnectionpattersdoindeedgeneratefunctionalconnectivityofhighcomplexity,basedonhighly connectedandcoherentfunctionalclusters.Accordingly,theproposedcomplexitymeasuredoescapturethe degreeofsubsystemintegrationwhichcanbeattributedtocorrelatedpatternsofneuronalactivityamong differentgroupsofneurons.Moreover,thevalueofthecomplexitymeasurechangeswithstimulusinduced alterationsoffunctionalconnectivity,wherebythemodel'sintrinsiccomplexitycomestomatchadaptivelythe statisticalstructureoftheexternalinput.Subsystemintegration,reflectedinMutualInformation,isinthissetting thoughtofasaformofInformationprocessing[152].However,itmustbenotedthattheproposedcomplexity measureisnotunique:itisjustoneofafamilyofinformationtheoreticmetricsbasedontheintuitionof segregationintegrationbalance[18].Iwillresumethispointwhendiscussinganextendedframeworkoftheories andmeasuresofconsciousness[128]. Proceedingfromtheforegoingbasis,Tononiandassociates[16,149,150,151]formalizedandrefinedin successivestepsthe"InformationIntegrationTheoryofConsciousness.Atthefundamentallevel,consciousnessis inthistheoryviewedasintegratedinformation:'Integratedinformation"isunderstoodasinformationgenerated

byasystemselectingonefromamongallpossiblestatesitcanassume.Theparticularstateselectedisafunction oftwofactors:thesystem'srangeofaprioriavailablestates,andthosestatesthatthesystemaposteriori(i.e. afterreceivingsomeinputstimulus)intrinsically,onthebasisofitsintrinsicarchitectureanddynamics,identifies asbeingcausallyrelatedtoelementsofitsapriorirepertoire.Thedifferencebetweenaprioriandaposteriori selectionistheeffectiveinformationthatmatters:IntegratedInformationisthentheinformationgenerated(i.e. reductionofuncertaintyfacingastimulus)attributabletocausalinteractionamongsystemelements,inexcessof theinformationgeneratedbythesystem'sparts.Thetheorypostulatesthatthisquantityisequivalenttothelevel ofconsciousness.Giventheseassumptions,itisthenpossibletoquantifyIntegratedInformationinmodelsas functionofsystemarchitectureanddynamics:althoughforcomputationalreasonslimitedtosmallsystemsize. Tononietalshowinsupportofthistheorythatneurobiologicallyplausiblesystemarchitecturesareassociated withhighlevelsofIntegratedInformation.BalduzziandTononi[16]thengoontodevelopmathematical proceduresforcharacterizinginformationalrelationsfordynamicalsystemsofdiscreteelementswhichevolvein statespacebyMarkoviantransitions.InformationIntegrationisinthismodelmeasuredastheinformation generatedbythesystem'stransitiontooneparticularoutofthepossiblestates.Thereasoningisthusanalogous totheearlierdescribed(static)measure,butbasedonevolvingshapesinthesystem'sstatespace,ratherthanon staticvalues.BalduzziandTononi[16]thenarguethattheseshapesmeetcriteriaforcharacterizingqualitiesof consciousexperiences.Aninitialattempttomodelessentialaspectsofthetheorysucceededingenerating meaningfulbehaviorinavirtualrobot[66].NathanandBarbos[107]applyanetworkalgorithimicproceduretoa computationalmodelofthecortexforobtainingameasureofinformationintegration.Inductionofanesthesia reducesthebrain'sinformationintegrationcapacity[93]. Theessentialpointisthethoughtthatasystemgeneratesmoreinformationthanthesumofitsparts,andthat "integratedinformation"measurestheextenttowhichthesystem'scapacityallowsthistooccur,beitunder staticordynamicregimes,associatedwithlevelversusqualityofinformation(consciousness?),respectively. BarrettandSeth[19]challengetheapproachchosenbyTononiandassociatesontwocounts:first,becauseofthe practicallimitationsoftheproposedalgorithms;and,second,morefundamentally,becauseofitsrestrictionto discreteMarkovsystemswhichlimitsthetheory'sgenerality.BarrettandSeth(l.c.)frameinformationintegration intermsofprocess(ratherthancapacity;seeabove)andpresentanapproachthatwouldbesuitablefor simulatingsensorymotorcoordinationininformationrichenvironments. InessentialdifferencefromTononi'sinformationbasedapproach,SethandEdelman[127]andSeth[125] considerpopulationactivitypatternsascausallyeffectiveratherthaninformationbearingrepresentations underlyingcomputations.TheessentialelementsoftheirimplementationaregraphtheoryandGrangercausality (fordetails:[47,69])intheserviceofaprincipledcausalconnectivityanalysisofnetworkdynamics[130]:Granger causality,revealingrecurrentstructuresofanetworkinwhichneuronsareembedded,canbeappliedto representinteractionsbetweenvariablesasdirectededgesingraphs.Inthisform,thecausaldensityofnetwork dynamicsiscapturedasthefractionofinteractionsamongthenodesthatarecausallyeffective.Causaldensityis thusaprocessmeasureofnetworkdifferentiationintegration.TheSethEdelmanmodelheedstheadmonitions fromtheviewsonembeddedCognition(seeforinstance:[34])bytakingintoaccountthecontinuouscausal interactionsamongbrain,bodyandenvironment.Behaviorallearningviasynapticplasticityisviewedasshaping theselectionofcausalpathwaysinneuralpopulations,intheframeworkofEdelman'sDarwinianselectionist theory.Thesegeneralnotionsareimplemented,andputtotest,inabrainbaseddevicethatallowsthetracking of(simulated)neuronalactivityduringbehaviorinspatialnavigationtasksinrealenvironments(DarwinX:[89], [90]).Theanalysiscentersondeterminingthemultiplepathsoffunctionalinteractionsthatleadintimetoa selectedneuron'sactivationwithinfluenceonbehavior(theReferenceNeuron,RN).Thecausalsignificanceof everyconnectioninthenetworkofinteractingpathsleadingtoRNisestimatedasGrangerCausality,foreach

connectionbasedontheactivitytimeseriesofthepreandpostsynapticneuron,respectively.Removingdeadend connectionsfromtheGrangernetworkthatdonotparticipateinthecausalchainleadingtoRNfinallyidentifiesits causalcore.Analyzingthemodel'spatternsofactivityrevealedseveralmeaningfulinsights,ofwhichImention buttwofortheprincipledinsightintothenetworkdynamicstheyafford:variabilityofneuralactivityleadingtoa giveneventistheexpressionofthediversityofdynamicrepertoiresfromamongwhichselectionoccursby pathwayshiftingintime;andbehaviorallearningmanifestsitselfatthepopulationlevelasprogressiverefinement andeventualselectionof(metaphoricallyspeaking:bysculpting)specificcausalpathways(causalcores)from amongtheavailablelargerepertoireavailableforneuronalinteractions. Inassessingmeritsandliabilitiesoftheapproacheslistedintheforgoing,Sethetal[128]concludethatnoneof themfullycapturetherequiredmultidimensionalcomplexityofaneurobehavioralsystemthatcouldaccountfor objectivelymeasurablefeaturesofconsciousness;andthatallofthemhavepracticallimitations.Aslandmarksfor approachingsatisfactionoftheserequirements,theauthorscontinuetoinsistonadheringtothetheoretical frameworkoftheNeuronalGroupSelectionTheoryandtheconceptofthedynamiccore,emphasizingits participationinthetransactionalprocessesbetweenorganism(model)andtheenvironmentallyembeddedbody. Thedecisiveissueliesinextendingthepreviouslyconsiderednotionsofcomplexity.Tothisend,thenotionofa multidimensionalRelevantComplexityisintroduced,requiringatleastthreedimensionsoftemporal,spatialand recursivecomplexity:theformertwodimensions,each,coveringawiderangeoftemporalandspatialscales;the laterdesignatingtheintegrationdifferentiationbalanceacrossdifferentlevelsofsystemdescriptionwhichwould ideallyextendfromthelevelofmolecularsynapticdynamicstothatofreentrantinteractionsamongsegregated brainregions.Implementingthisambitiousvisioninabrainbaseddevicewouldundoubtedlybealargestep towardssimulatingbehaviorunderconsciousguidance. ConsideringtheideaofRelevantComplexityaspivotalrequirespayingtributetothebodyhousingthebrain: following,inpart,theseminalinsightsofDamasio[39]theglobalWorkspacetheoryacknowledgestheroleof emotionandvaluativejudgmentsofConsciousness[14]takenalreadyintoaccountinShanahan's[131]model, citedearlier.However,itappearsthatthenotionofCoreConsciousnesswhichDamasioformulatesprimarilyon thebasisofinsightsfromClinicalNeurologywarrantsstillmuchmoredetailedattention.Theextensivestudiesof theReticularActivatingSystemoftheneurophysiologistofthe50sand60s,recentlyreviewedbySteriade[143] andplacedinthecontextofsleepandarousal([97],andtheelaboratemechanismsofregisteringthebody's condition[37]assumerenewedsignificanceforthesomatosensingfunctionsandstructures,necessaryfor consciousness[110].Evidently,anextendedinfrastructuresubservesinteroceptiveintegration,orchestrating thecorticothalamicdynamicswiththeinterestsandcapabilitiesofthebody,anditshomeostaticregulation,in theserviceofconsciousness[38]. ThenextsectionwillbrieflysketchsomesnapshotsoftheprevailingconceptuallandscapeofCognitive Neuroscience,aspartoftheintellectualclimatewithpotentialinfluenceontheorientationinneurobiologyof consciousnessstudies. 3.2:Consciousness"inthewild" ParaphrasingthetitleofHutchins's[75]wellknownbookisintendedtoannouncethetargetofthissection whichistoreview,howeverbrieflyandnotnecessarilyinanyorderofpriority,whatittakestobeconsciousunder conditionsofordinary,dailylife.Youneednotbeafanofthecriticismofneurosciencediscourseleveledby BennettandHacker[22],noranardentWittgensteinian,toacknowledgethattheoftenencounteredlocution brainsthink"orbrainsareconsciousisdrasticallywrongandmisleading,evenifonlyusedasashortcutor

metaphorically.WhatIStobeconsideredconsciousarepersons,embeddedandimmersedinamaterialandsocial worldinreciprocalinteractionbywhichtheyareinlargemeasureconstituted(forarecentlucidanalysis,see [120]).Thisdoesnotofcourseprecludeanimalsfromhavingsomeformsofconsciousness,asmentionedearlier, butforpresentpurposesitispersonsIamhavinginmind,whosecapabilityforintelligentactionincludesthe purposefulutilizationofresourcestheenvironmentoffersintheformofsensorymotorinteractiononwhich numerousauthorsagree[34,100,118,170].Theextenttowhichtheenvironmentitselfisinfactan'extended mind"isatpresentcontroversial[32,33,99,163] TosomeextentreminiscentofthesubmarinenavigatorinMaturanaandVarela's"Treeofknowledge"[96] Metzinger[101,102]developedinlargedetailaSelfModelTheoryofSubjectivity(SMT).Comparingthefunction ofthehumanbrainwiththatofaflightsimulator,itreceivescontinuousinputfromsensoryorgansfor constructinganinternalrepresentationoftheexternalreality.Experientially,oneisnotawarethatthisinternal representationisbutamodeloftheexternalreality.Consciousexperienceandfirstpersonperspectiveofan individualSelfofConsciousnessissaidtoconsistsinactivatingthisworldmodel,butleavesconditionsfor activationunexplained.Inthisworldofvirtualrealityandembodiedsimulation,themotorsystemconstructs goals,actionsandintendingselves[103],andentersintosocialtraffic[63,64],,thelatterthoughttoinvolve specificallyaclassofneurons(appropriatelycalledMirroNeurons)intheforebrainforbidirectionalinteraction withtheenvironment[116].Moregenerally,GalleseandLakoff[65]suggestthatthesensorymotorsystemhas therightkindofstructureforcharacterizingsomeabstractconcepts:theirideaofneuralexploitationrefersto puttingtheinternalizedmodelofsensorymotorbrainmechanismintheserviceofnewrolesinCognition.One shouldexpectsupportofSMTfromreportsofoutofbodyexperience.Theprincipleofthesestudiesisto experimentallyinducemultisensoryconflictswhichwoulddisrupttheprereflectivebodilyfoundationsofthe experientialselfmodel[27].Numerousobservationsdoindeedattestthatsuchconditionsdistortspatialunity, createtheexperienceofavirtualbodyoutsidetheregularbodyboundaries,locatestimulitobodypartsother thanthosetowhichthestimuliwereapplied,tonamebutafewprominentmanifestations.Thesephenomena canalsobeassociatedwithcertainneurologicaldisorders,notablyofthetemporoparietaljunctionofthecortex.I submit,however,thattherelationofexperimentalandnaturalbodyconceptaberrationstoSMTisambiguous inasmuchasitisliabletoconfoundbasicperceptualcognitivefunctionswithconsciousness. Inpassing,onemightprovocativelysay:'Consciousstatescanbecontagious',referringtotheimitation theoriesofculture[48]andthe'collectivestatesincoupledbrains'ofwhichBenzon([23],p.59)speaksasakind ofgroupintentionality,specificallyhavingtheactivitythe'musicking'byensemblesinmind.Graspingthe intentionsofotherswithone'smirrorneuronsystemseemstobequitegenerallyinvolvedinvariousformsof interpersonalrelations[64,76,115]. Returningtobasics:thebrain'sactivityresponsiblefortheformationSMTisassumedtoconsistofcomplex informationprocessingandrepresentationalmechanisms.ItisthusindebtedtonotionsadoptedfromCognitive Neuroscience[102].Inthenextsection,IwillcriticallydiscusssomeaspectsoftheroleofNeuroandCognitive scienceforconsciousnessstudies. 3.3QualitycontrolofadoptionsandimportsfromNeuroandCognitiveScience ConsciousnessstudiescanbeexpectedtoselectivelydrawonconceptsthatarebasedintheNeuroand CognitiveSciences.RepresentationalmechanismsandInformationprocessing,mentionedinthecontextofSMT,

areexamplesofsuchimportswhosestandinginthesourcedisciplinesisfarfrombeinguncontroversial.Inpat, thetroubleliestherewithInformationalSemantics[49]andtheintuitionsithasinstilled:itassumesacausalco variationinthesensethateventAcarriesinformationabouteventB,andBhasnowrepresentationalcontentof A.Butlawgovernedprocessescanvirtuallybeadimeadozenwhichmakesinformationubiquitous,hencethe needforsubjectingtherelationtoconstraintssuppliedbyanobserver.Grush[71,72]resolvesthisconundrumby definingrepresentationsas"entitieswhichareusedtostandforsomethingelse",withtheemphasisontheword 'use,indicatingtherebythattheproperroleofRepresentationsisforofflineuse,ashesuggests,under counterfactualconditions.Similarly,considerthepatternillustratedbytherelation"itisnomicallynecessarythat litmus(s)turnsred(r)inacid":Theinformationalrelationobtainsbetweens'sbeinginacertainway,andr's beinginacertainway;withthesourcesbeingF,andthereceptorrbeingG.ThenthefactthatrisGcarriesthe informationthatsisFifandonlyifitisnomicallynecessarythatsisFgiventhatrisG,subjecttoceterisparibus conditionswhichneedtobeconstrainedbyanobserver[118].BothcasessupportHaugeland's[74] conclusionthatthereisnoprincipledwayforviewingbrainandenvironmentasseparatesystems,albeitamenable tofunctionalseparabilitybycriteriathatneedtobesuppliedbyanobserverandarethusnotintrinsictothe system. ProblemswithInformationandassociatednotionsrunstilldeeper:inComputationalandSystem Neuroscience,dataandconclusionsarefrequentlystatedintermsofsomemeasureofInformationbasedon Shannon'sMathematicalTheoryofCommunication(MTG),withtheoffshootsofInformationTheoryandthe notionofInformationProcessing,thelatterlargelymodeledaftertheTheoryofComputation.Thevalidityof reporteddatamust,thus,dependontheirsourcehavingmetthespecificassumptionsoftheparentTheories:for instancethattheneuraldatafulfillthepremisesofMTGsuchasergodicityandnormalityofdatadistribution. However,arecentreviewandreappraisalofalargecollectionofdataintheNeuroscienceliteratureshowsthat theydonotgenerallymeetcriteriathataccordwiththeseassumptions[31,164].Instead,thereissubstantial evidenceforfractalityandselfsimilarityinspaceandtime,atalllevelsoforganization,extendingfromindividual neuronstofieldpotentials,EEGandfMRIrecords,andtoperceptualpsychophysicalandcognitivefunctions. AdditionalrecentobservationalandtheoreticalstudiesbyGrigolinietal[70]andAllegrinietal2,3]ofglobal intermittentdynamicsofcollectiveexcitationsintherestingstateElectroencephalogram(EEG)addanimportant newdimension:theRapidTransitionProcesses(RTP),previouslyidentifiedbyKaplanetal[79]andexaminedin greatdetailbyFingelkurtsetal[59,60]arenotonlyevidenceforrapidintermittenttransitionprocessesofglobal metastabletransitions,buttheyalsodisplaymultichannelavalanchesintheformofsimultaneouslyoccurring RTPsinseveralEEGrecordingsites.TheavalancheswereidentifiedbyapplyingthemethodwhichBeggsand Plenz[21]hadusedatthemesoscopiclevelofneuralorganization.Severalstatisticalmeasuresofmultichannel avalanchesexhibitinversepowerlawstatistics.Thus,theavalanchesattesttoastateofselforganizedcriticalityat thelevelofthewholecortex,anditscomplexity.Oncloseranalysis,however,itturnsoutthatdifferentcortical areashavedifferentdegreesofcomplexity.Theundoubtedlysignificantconsequencesofthisobservationwarrant furtherinvestigation. Takentogether,thesevariousstrandsofevidencesuggesttheneedforchannelingTheoreticalNeuroscience intodirectionswhichareatvariancewithstillwidelyheldbeliefs,reflectedincurrentlyauthoritativesourcessuch asforinstance:[40,42]. Finally,recallthatInformationdoesnothaveanaturalOntologyandisaccordingly,notintrinsictothebrain: Information,includingmeasureslikeEntropyetc,referstothestateofknowledgeofanobserver,andisnot intrinsictothephysicsofasystem[85].Norisprogrammablecomputationintrinsicallyanaturalprocess:rather,it isputtingPhysicsintheserviceoftheuser'ssyntaxandsemantics[166].

AtmanspacherandRotter[5]directattentiontotheintricaciesofonticandepistemicstates,theformer referringtoaphysicalstateassuch,asitisindependentofanobserver;thelatterreferringtotheusuallycontext dependentknowledgethatcanbeobtainedaboutanonticstate.Relationsbetweenonticandepistemicstates getintricateinhierarchicinterlevelrelations:itisthenpossiblethatstatesandpropertiesofasystem,viewed epistemicallyatonelevelofdescriptioncanbeconsideredonticintheperspectiveofahigherlevel(i.e.objects constitutedfromdescriptions);also,compositionsoflowerlevelobjectscanbeepistemicallydescribed,but alternativelyalsoonticallycharacterizedas'buildingblocks'ofhigherlevelobjects[9].Hence,onticitycanbe relativetocontext.Whyarethesedistinctionsimportant?Becauseitdependsonthemwhetheragivenitemcan beconsideredonthelevelofrealityandsubjecttolawsofnature,ortosubjectiveperspectivaldiscourse.In complexsystems,thisdistinctionistheessentialfordifferentiating(computational)processesintrinsictoontic statesfromtransactionsamongtheir(epistemic)descriptions.Thesedistinctionsarealsodecisiveforinterlevel relations:forinstance,forderivingadescriptionofasystem'sfeaturesfromalowerleveldescription,inwhich caseBishopandAtmanspacher[26]andAtmanspacher[7]additionalcontingentcontextualconditionsare required.Forillustratingtheprincipleof'contextualemergence'withanexamplefromPhysics,considerthat temperatureasanovelphenomenalproperty,byitselfalone,cannotbederivedfromalowerlevelstatistical mechanicaldescription.However,providingacontextintheformofcertainstabilityconditions,temperature emergesasanovelpropertyatthelevelofthermodynamics.Inthisconceptualframework,coarsegrained descriptionofneuralactivitycanprovidethenecessaryconditionsfortheemergenceof(phenomenal)mental statedescriptionsatthecognitivelevel,withstabilitycriteriafromSymbolicDynamicsasthecontext[6].Note thatthisprocessestablishesanepistemicrelationbetweenneuroandcognitivedynamics,andconcurrentlyalso resolvesthenotorioussymbolgroundingproblem[73]. Thepointofallthisisthatconfoundingobserverrelativeandintrinsicfeaturesofobjectsoreventscanbecome anotorioussourceofconfusionandfalseattributions,ofwhichcertainusesof'information','computing', 'complexity'[10]andconsciousnessarepotentiallysusceptiblevictims. Takentogether,thesevariousintrinsicuncertaintiesinCognitiveNeuroscienceandthepotentialsourcesof conceptualfallaciespointtothemeritoftheprincipledgenerativeconstructiveapproachtoconsciousnessstudies, basedonbrainbaseddevicesinrealisticenvironments,withembodiednervoussystemmodelsoftransparent designwhoseparametersareundertheinvestigator'scontrol,asexamplesreviewedinSection3.1show. SupplementingjudiciouslychosenintuitionsgleanedfromNeurobiologywithnoveldesignsandinventions,for stepwiserefinementofmodelperformancecanbeexpectedtoeventuallyidentifyoptimaldesignprinciplesand competenciesrequiredforapproximatingthecapabilitiesassociatedwithConsciousness.Taketheexampleof Shanahan's[132]abductiveframeworkforactiveperceptionwhichisanothereffectivewayforbypassingthe symbolgroundingproblem[73]atapracticallevel,thoughnottheprincipleofthemeasurementdependent Heisenbergcut[10]separatingthephysicsofratedependentdynamicalstatesfromarbitrarysymbols[111];an issuecommonlyneglectedincurrentCognitiveNeuroscience,yetunderminingitatafundamentallevel. Withthegeneraloutlookofthissectioninmind,Iturnnexttoproposingnewaspectsofthe'Relevant Complexity'whoserequirementformultidimensionalitywasthesubstantiveinsightofthestudiesreviewedin Section3.1 4.BrainStateSpaceDynamicsandComplexity Studyingneuralactivityintermsofstatespacerepresentationshasprovenofimmenseheuristicvalue[160]

forcapturingthespatialandtemporaldynamicsofneuralsystemsatmicro,mesoandmacroscopicgranularity. Itsmeritliesinmakingconceptualtoolsofstatisticalmechanics[140]availableforneuraldatainterpretation. Essentially,itentailsassociatingameasureofneuralactivitywithapoint(orregion)inausuallyhigher dimensionalspacewithfollowingthepathtakenunderthecontrolofevolutionequations.Theevolutioncanbe onticallycharacterizedbyLangevintypedifferentialequations,orepistemicallyasFokkerPlancktype descriptionsofpointcloudsortrajectorybundles[5]Inanapplicationofthisprinciple,Allefeldetal[1]examined conditionsandcriteriafor,whattheyconsider,theemergenceofmentalstatesfrombrainelectricaldynamics.The StateSpaceapproachwasalsoappliedbyFell[58]inanattempttoidentifyneuralcorrelatedofconsciousness. However,whatisofcrucialimportanceforthetopicofthisessayisthefactthatthedynamicsofneuralsystems candisplayatalllevelsthepropertyofcriticality.Bythisismeantthatthepathtrajectorycanundergo bifurcationsduetosingularitiesincertainregionsofstatespace.AccordingtoCriticalTheoryofStatisticalPhysics, asystem'scontrolparametercanbetunedtoundergosuddenphasetransitionstonewmacroscopic configurationswithdistinctlynovelproperties.Oneaspectofthesystemreconfigurationconsistsofachangeof thecorrelationfunctionamongitselements,whichcharacterizeshowthevalueatonepointinstatespace correlateswiththevalueatanotherpoint.Whileordinarilyextendingonlyovershortdistances,correlationlength increaseswithapproachtothecriticalpointwhereitfinallybecomesinfinite,havingestablishedanewpatternof collectiveinteractionsamongthesystem'scomponents. Theoccurrenceofsuchsingularitiesinneuraldynamicsandassociatedstatetransitionsisbynowamply establishedforalllevelsofneuralsystemorganization,andisdocumentedinrecentreviews[31,164].Brainphase transitionsbetweenactiveconsciousandunconsciousstatesoccuratcriticalvaluesofanestheticconcentration [144,145].TheirrelevanceforhumancognitionisevaluatedbyRef.[137].IntheframeworkoftheGlobal WorkspaceModel,Dehaene[43]presentsevidencefornonconsciouslocalprocessingwithinspecializedmodules priortoreachingathresholdfor"globalignition"underlyingconsciousreportability;theauthordoesnotdiscuss thesefindingsintermsofphasetransitions,buthisdescriptionofobservationsishighlysuggestiveofacritical transitioninphasespacedynamics. Wallace[161]appliedtheprincipleofphasetransitiontotheGlobalWorkspaceModel(GWM)ofBaars(see Section3.1),viewingconsciousnessassociatedwithacoreoflimitedprocessingcapacitywhichreceivesinputfrom acollectionofdistributed,specializedprocessorsand(unconscious)contexts.Selectingclassicalandsemiclassical resultsfromnetworktheory[108],Wallaceconsidersnetworknodesasprocessorsoftheglobalworkspace model,andnetworklinksasmutualinformationbetweenthem.Hethenforexploresconditionsunderwhichthe networkcoalescesbyphasetransitiontoa'giantcomponent':atermtakenfromPercolationTheory[142];see alsoanillustrationin[166]tosignifythemergerofnetworknodestoonelargeassembly.Intuitively,onemay interprettheformationoftheGiantcomplexasacognitiveevent.Themodelillustratesthatnetworktopologyand clusteringoflinkagesaretunableparametersofnetworkconfigurationsthatareinterpretableasdescriptorsof psychologicalconcepts.Thismodelofferstheadvantageofbeingintuitivelybetteraccessible,andbearingmore directlyondatafrombiologicalnetworkandfMRIstudiesthandoesanearlierversionwhichwillbereferredtoin Section5. AlthoughnotbeingpartofWallace'sowndiscussionofthemodel,itdoesinviteonetospeculateonunderlying neuralmechanismsofthekindstudiedinRef.[88]asphasetransitionsinneuropercolationmodels.Percolation alsoturnedupinthetheoreticalworkofRef.[29]onentirelydifferentgroundsandinthecontextofdifferent premises:applyingfieldtheoreticmethodstononequilibriumstatisticalprocessesinMarkovianneuralnetworks, theauthorsshowedtheproclivityoftheircomputationalmodelsfordynamicalphasetransitionsofthe(directed) percolationtype.

 Thisdynamicsofstatephasetransitionsisconsidereduniversalinitsindependenceofdetailsatthemicroscopic level[140,136]metaphoricallyspeaking,thesystem'forgets'itsoriginalmicroscopicstructureandpropertiesby coarsegraining,andlosesallcharacteristiclengthscalesforsystemspecificvariables:itbecomesscaleinvariant, i.e.fractal[141].Dissipativecomplexsystemscanattainthestateofcriticalitybyselforganizationwherethe criticalstateisanattractorforthedynamics[15].Applyingthistheoreticalframework,Kitzbichleretal[83] comparedphasesynchronizationandscalingincriticalmodelswithglobalsynchronizationinfMRIandMEG recordsfromhumansatrest,andfoundessentialcorrespondence,suggestingthatfunctionalsystemsinbrainexist inastateofendogenouscriticality.Fraimanetal[62]determinedbraincorrelationnetworksfromfMRIvoxelto voxelcorrelationsunderthesamecomputationalconditions.Contrastingtheirhumandatawithcorrelation networksfromcomputationalsimulationofacomputationalmodelofmagneticspins(Isingmodel)showedclose correspondenceinallrelevantrespects,thusalsosupportingtheconjectureofthehumanbrainatrestfunctioning nearacriticalpoint.Inaddition,theinvestigatorsofthisandRef.[56]werestruckbytheemergenceofnontrivial collectivestatesinthecriticalstate.Asnotedbefore,statetransitioninphysicalsystemsisreflectedbythe correlationcoefficientattwodifferentpointsinspaceandatdifferenttimes.Intheiranalysesofhumandataat successivespatialcoarsegrainingsteps,theyuncoveredselfsimilarityofcorrelations,whilethetemporalpattern followedasusual1/ffrequency(i.e.powerlaw)behaviorofthepowerspectrum.Theauthorsofthisstudy suggestthatthedynamicalselfsimilarityaffordstheopportunityforbrainstatestoalternatebetweenmetastable states(attractors)ofpredominantlyshortorlongdistancecorrelations.Phenomenologically,thissuggestionis reminiscentofthebrain'sstateaccordingtothetheoryofExtendedCoordinationDynamicswhich, however,interpretsMetastabilityinadifferently:namelyasexpressionoftheopposingtendenciesof complementarypairsofbrainstates,yetfunctioningcollectivelyascoupledpairs,withouteverbecoming attractorsfortakingcontrol[55,81,82].Althoughthisisnotsostatedbytheauthors,onecouldperhaps attributethe'overlappingtendencies'tothesharingofanattractorbasin?Ineithercase,Metastabilityappearsto subservelocalsegregation(specialization)andglobalintegrationofcorticalregions. Thevirtualubiquityoffractalphenomenologyinthebrainandofmanycognitivefunctions[24,70,164],inpart atleastaccountedforbyselforganizingprocesses,isatellingsignatureoftheircomplexity,andsupportsviewing thebrainpoisedtocriticalitywhereinversepowerlawcorrelationsobtaininspaceandtime.Tothis,Allegrinietal [2]addedimportantnewevidence,basedonstudyingthe'rapidtransitionprocesses'(RTP)inthe Electroencephalogram,originallyidentifiedbyKaplanetal[79]theseareabruptchangesinEEGamplltude, interspersedbetweensegmentsofregularamplitudeandwaveshape.WhenrecordingfromseveralEEG electrodesconcurrently,Figelkurtsetal[59,60]hadnotedsimultaneityofRTP'sinseveralrecordingchannelsata frequencyabovetheexpectedstatisticalaverage,suggestingcollectiveactivityoffunctionalneuronassemblies. ToisolateconcurrentspatiotemporalpatternsofRTP's.Allegrini(l.c.)thenappliedtheprocedureofRef.[21] hadsuccessfullyusedforavalanchedetectionatthemesoscopiclevel.Theresultsunequivocallyidentifieda fractalavalanchingprocessofselforganizedcriticalityinvolvedinglobalmetastabletransitions.Moreover, regionaldifferencesinscalingbehaviorshowedthatcorticalareasdifferinrespecttotheircomplexity.Weareleft withthequestion:dothesedatacharacterizethestatusofthedefaultmodenetwork(thesubjectswereatrest), ordotheyspeaktotheintegratedneuraldynamicssustainingconsciousness? Asiswellknown,Complexity(togetherwithemergence,informationdynamics,andrelatednotions)isa bottomlessbarrelofdifferentopinions,idiosyncraticdefinitions,andperceptions:seeforinstance:Ref.[113]. However,thefocusofinteresthasshiftedtowardsthenascentfieldofComplexNetworks,situatedatthe intersectionofgraphtheoryandstatisticalphysics[36].Theircommonfeaturesareinversepowerlawstatistical distributions,multiplicityofscales,manifestationsofnonstationary,andnonergodicstatisticalprocesses.A

complexnetwork'scapacityforstoringinformationisdefinedbyitsstatisticalentropy[4,134].Realnetworks occurringinNatureseemtoclusterinarelativelynarrowregionofentropynoisespace.Internaltoa network,informationtransferbetweennetworknodesdependsonthenetworktopology:itisoptimalatornear thenetwork'sphasetransition[80].Atthiscriticalpoint,selforganizedneuralnetworksarealsooptimizedfor cooperativelearning[41]andmemoryfunction[94;seealso[28],section5.3]. Althoughalsodealingwithinformationtransfer,Allegrini's(Il.c.)findingofcorticalareasdifferingin complexity(seeforegoing)introducesanentirelydifferentsituation,namelyinformationexchangebetween complexnetworks.Aseriesoftheoreticalmathematicalstudies,summarizedbyWestetal[171]wereconcerned withanalyzinghowonecomplexnetworkrespondstoperturbationbyasecondcomplexnetwork:thisisviewed asaformofinformationtransportfromonenetworktoanother,inprinciplecomparabletostochasticresonance (forinstance:Mossetal[106],exceptforinvolvinginteractingcomplexnetworks.Inthiscase,theinteractionof complexSystemSwithcomplexsystemPshowsthatPinheritsthecorrelationfunctionfromS;itdoesso optimallyifSandPhavethesamepowerlawindex;hencethedesignationofthisphenomenonasComplexity MatchingEffect.Allegrinietal(l.c.)andBianconietal(l.c.)validatedthetheoreticalpredictionswithdatafrom Electroencephalogramrecordings,statisticallyrepresentinganonergodic,nonPoissonrenewalprocess,with powerlawindices<2complexity.Clearly,thisapproachintroducesanentirelynewperspectiveforinterpreting andevaluatingneurophysiologicaldataatthecomplexsystemslevel,andchallengesprevailingnotionsof 'informationflow'innervoussystems.ApplyingthetheoryoftheComplexityMatchingEffecttodynamic interactionsbetweencentralcoreandmodulesoftheGlobalWorkspaceTheorycouldyieldsomerevealing insights. ThemultiplicityofscalesencounteredincomplexnetworksinvitestheapplicationofRenormalizationGroup Theory,asetofconceptsandmethodsallowingonetounderstandphenomenainmanyfieldsofphysicsincluding classicalstatisticalmechanicsofnonequilibriumsystems.Itprovesparticularlyusefultounderstand phenomenawherefluctuationsinvolvingmanyscalesoflengthandtimescalesleadtotheemergenceofnew collectivebehaviorincomplexsystems.ItisthetopicofthenextSection. 5.ApplyingtheRenormalizationGroupTheory(RNG) RNGisbothacomputationalapproachandawayofviewingreality.Intheformer,theRenormalizationGroup Theorystudiesthetransformationaldynamicsbywhichacomplexsystemspacemapsontoitselfinthestepwise traversalofthebasinofattraction(thecriticalmanifold)towardsacriticalfixedpoint.Onitspath,thesystem 'definesmanyworlds'(asKadanoff[77]aptlyputit).Theconsecutive'worlds'originatebyphasetransitionswhich occurstepwisealongthetrajectoryoftheRNGtransformation.Theyareatthemicroscopiclevelitsstepwise generatedselfsimilarsolutions,eachreflectingintermediateasymptoticbehavior[17]andincreasingrangeof correlationsamongconstituents.Viewingthemas'differentworlds'isduetothefactthatthenewmicrolevel correlationpatternsexpressthemselvesatthemacroscopiclevelasqualitativelydifferentnovelties,withtheir ownnewlawsandnewdescriptors:think,forinstance,ofthephasetransitionfromwatertoice.Ateachstep, theessentialaspectofthetransformationconsistsinprogressivecoarsegrainingandchangeinlengthscale: coarsegrainingbeingthecouplingmicroscopicdegreesoffreedomtoeachothertomakethemeffectivelyact assingleentitieswithcorrelationlengthsonalllengths,implyingscaleinvariance.Ineffect,RNGeliminates microscopicdetailsthatareinessentialorirrelevantfordeterminingthesystem'sbehavioratthecriticalpoint( [20],Ch.4).ThisaccountsfortheMultipleRealizabilityofcomplexsystems:differentmicroscopicconstituents anddynamicsgivingrisetoidenticalmacroscopicbehavior.Atthecriticalpoint,thesystem'scorrelation coefficientsbecomeinfinite,reflectingtheenormousnumberofcorrelationsamongconstituents.Atthispoint,

the'criticalexponents'areuniversalinthesensethattheyapplytoentireclassesofsystemswhichcanconsistof materialsofverydifferentmicroscopicconstituents.Onethenspeaksofuniversalityclassesthathavesomevery generalsystempropertiesincommon,suchasdimensionalityandthelengthofrangeofinteractions.(For introductoryaccounts:[68,173]). Forthepurposesofthisessay,thefocusisonthe"RenormalizationGroupViewoftheWorld"[133].Itderives fromthecomputationalapproachofRNGinasmuchasitelevatesitscomputationalachievementstoanepistemic principle:thepunctuatedphasetransitionsalongconsecutivestepsonthetrajectoryofRNGdelimitlevelsof qualitativelydifferentrealities,eachonitsownscaleandgrainofresolution,andgovernedbyitsownlaws. AlthoughunrelatedtoRNG,considerforintuitiveappreciationofthisphenomenonthefollowinghistorically notableillustration:whenAnthonyvonLeuwenhoekin1674increasedthemagnificationofhismicroscopetoa certain(critical!)degree,hesawsuddenlyapopulatedworldofprotists,neverpreviouslyexpectedtobepartof thewaterdropheexamined.Inotherwords,heaccessedanewlevelofrealitywhichexhibiteditsownontology andthelawsthatgovernit.InRNGterms,hischangingthemagnificationisequivalenttoastepalonga transformationtrajectoryassociatedwiththechangeofthegrainofobservation;inthiscasetoafinergrain. Thismuchforastunningentryintoanew,previouslyunknownlevelofReality.MorecommonlyinPhysics,oneis interestedintheoppositedirection,whichisthecaseofcollectiveemergence,associatedwithchangingtoa coarsergrainwithelementsatthemicrolevelcoalescingtolargerentities(asifbecomingmyopic).Butthebasic issueisthis:likeadeckofcards,realityisconsideredahierarchyoflevelswhere,oneachlevel,elementsare collectivelyorganizedtostructureswiththeirownlaws,properties,intrinsicscales,andarrangement(correlations) amongitselements;inshort:eachlevelisanontology,assuchrequiringitsown,distinctdescription.Conversely, twolevelsofdescriptionwillhaveradicallydifferentontologies.Twoconsecutivelevelsarerelatedtooneanother bysharpphasetransitions.Ineffect,thetransitionfromalowertoahigherlevelorganizesthedistinctobjects ofmacroscopiclevels[92].Thequalitativenoveltiesofconsecutivelevelsarisedenovoinvirtueofthesystem dynamics,anddonotstandinanylogicalrelationtooneanother,hencearenotlogicallydeduciblefromone another.Forinstance,our(nonfundamental)ontologyofeverydayobjectsisinthisframeworkultimatelyan intermediateasymptoticapproximation(seeabove)tothemorefundamentalontologyofquarksandelectrons. AnanalogousrelationobtainsbetweenTheoriesinPhysics[78]:asexample,theontologyofNewtonian mechanicsmaybeviewedasacoarsegrainedversionofthemorefundamentalgeneralrelativisticontology ([133],p.40). Inanapplicationofthisconceptualframeworktocognitionandbyimplicationtoconsciousness,Wallace[162] outlinedthesketchofatheoreticalschemethatutilizessomecentralideasofinformationtheoryinthecontextof arenormalizationpointofview.ReminiscentofthespiritoftheGlobalNeuronalWorkspace,cognitivemodules, hereconstitutedbasicallyaslanguagelikestructures,wouldinteractbypunctuatedphasetransitionstogenerate largecoherentstructures,lockingunderrenormalizationatacriticalpoint. Theobjectiveofthisessay,outlinedintheIntroduction,istoconceivetherealmoftheSubjectiveasan ontologywhoseepistemicaccessconstitutesthefeaturesofexperientialsubjectivity.Intheprecedingsections, severalbenchmarksareidentifiedwhichsuchanapproachwillhavetopass:criticalityofNeurodynamicsofa nervoussystembuiltbyenvironmentalspecification(inthespiritoftheDarwinianmodel),accommodationto aspectsofbodymechanicsanddynamicsintheinteractionwithaboundedregionoftheenvironment,andan adequateaccountofthebody'sinternalstateandhomeostaticregulations.Isuggestthatthesedifferent ingredients,takentogether,constitute(atleastinpart)themultidimensionalityofwhatSethetal[128]seemto haveinmindas'relevantcomplexity'.

CircumnavigatingintheforegoingSectionswhatappearsomeconceptualhurdlesandflawedconclusionsfrom experimentaldataandtheoreticalstudies,Iarriveatanalternativetopriorattemptsofrationalizingsubjectivity inNaturalScienceterms:namely,thattheRenormalizationworldviewisusefulandplausibleconceptual platform.Specifically,IenvisionanontologyofPersonhoodwhich,intheformatofacomplexnetwork, encompassesarepresentationofthebody(somaticaswellasautonomic),inassociationwiththebrain,and portionsofthe(cognitive)environment.ThedomainoftheSubjectiveisthenthoughttoariseasacomplex networkalongatrajectoryofphasetransitionsalongapathtothefixedpointwhichmarksthefullyconscious state.Thesequenceofconsecutivephasetransitionswouldconstitutedistinctlevelswherebyeachofthe consecutivelevelsoftheRenormalizationprocesspresentsacollectiveachievementwithdifferentgranularityof resolutionindetailsanddifferentdegreesofcorrelation.Thedensityofcorrelationamongtheelementsofalevel reachesamaximumattheFixedPointofRNGwhereitcoversthetotalrangeofselfsimilar(fractal)scales, indicativeofoptimalintegrationofcorrelatedactivity.Notethedifferencetothemorecommonandmore intuitiveviewthatConsciousness'emerges'fromneuralmechanismsasahigherleveloforganization.The oppositeisproposedhere:Thelevelsofsubjectivityariseasontologiesinthephasetransitionsfromthemore encompassing(higherlevel)ontologyoftheworldbodybrainPhysicssosubordinatelevels;andcandoso stepwiseatconsecutivelevelsofdifferentresolutionindetails.Thismaybeassociatedwiththetaxonomyof conscious,preconsciousandsubliminalprocessingwhichDehaene(l.c.)describes.Asanaddedbonus,this approacheliminatesthenotoriousproblemofmultiplerealizability([20],Ch.5.2)sinceitisanintegralaspectof RNGthatmanydifferentconfigurationsatonelevelcanbecomeidenticalatanotherlevel,onaccountofcoarse graining. Althoughdrawnincrudebrushstrokes,thissketchofapplyingtheRenormalizationviewoftheworldto Consciousnessisinprincipleamenabletotestingitsplausibility.Thiscanbepursuedbycapitalizinginmodelson thecomputationalassetsofRNG.Refs.[135],[119]and[114]aresuitablestartingpointsforstudyingRNG transformationsofcomplexnetworksandoffervaluableclues. AsafinalimplicationofRenormalizationGroupapplication,notethattheforgoingspeculationssituatethe problemofconsciousnessintheparentdomainofCondenseMatterPhysics(seeforinstance:[95]).Thissuggests aninterestingperspective:for,asstatedintheintroductoryparagraphofhissection,theprincipleofUniversality wouldpermitidentifyingwhether,andtowhatdegree,othermaterialsinNaturemaypossessfeaturesindicative ofaformofconsciousness,onceitwouldhavebeenpossibletodeterminetheUniversalityclassofwhichthe ontologyofPersonhoodisamember. Summary. Thereviewoftheprincipalcurrentapproachestomodelingcognitionandconsciousnessleadsmetosuggestthat noneofthempossessesthedegreeofmultidimensionalityorRelevantComplexity(l.c.),requiredforemulating morethan,atbest,oneoranotherfeatureofprimaryconsciousnesstoanelementarydegree.Moreover,I identifyanddiscusswhatIperceivetobebasicconceptualflawsinsomeconventionalassumptionsthatCognitive NeuroscienceandNeurophysiologybringtothetask.Norarethebasicinsightsofphasespacedynamicsand criticalityadequatelytakenintoaccount.Inthelightofthissituation,Iproposeadifferentapproach:first, considertherealmofSubjectivity(ashallmarkofconsciousness)asanontologyinitsownright(asSearle suggestedin1992);and,second,thinkintermsoftheRenormalizationGroupsviewofReality:thesubjectivityof Consciousnessisthentheepistemicinterpretationoftheontologythatoriginatesinphasetransitionsofthebrain bodyenvironmentsystem.

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