Almost any physical system is associated with some degree of integrated information, even a single molecule. The presence of…
Almost any physical system is associated with some degree of integrated information, even a single molecule. The presence of integrated information does not in itself indicate the presence of consciousness, according to IIT. The theory tells us that, in any physical system, consciousness is present at the level at which there is the most integrated information. For example, a molecule contained within the brain will not be conscious, as the level of integrated information in a brain is much higher than the level of integrated information in a single molecule. However, IIT predicts that a molecule in a puddle of water will be conscious, as there is more integrated information in the molecule than in the puddle as a whole. This is a theory of consciousness with considerable empirical support, and yet it entails that consciousness is much more widespread than we ordinarily assume. Goff, Philip. Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness. New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 2019.