Ascertain the Complexity Level Needed to Explain Consciousness

Ascertain the level(s) of biological and computational complexity that must be incorporated to adequately explain conscious experience, specifying which neural scales and mechanistic details (molecular, cellular, circuit, and network) are required for a satisfactory theory of consciousness.

Background

The author argues that leading theories often operate at a high level of abstraction (e.g., information integration, global workspace, recurrent feedback) and may omit crucial biological detail needed to capture consciousness. The text emphasizes moving beyond abstract computational descriptions to integrate multilevel neurobiological mechanisms.

This raises a specific uncertainty: the field does not currently know how much biological and computational complexity is necessary for an adequate account, implying that theories may need to embrace richer, multiscale interactions to accurately model consciousness.

References

Again, we do not know what level of complexity is needed to understand consciousness, but we should be aware that it might be more complex than our present theories suggest.

— The assumptions that restrain us from understanding consciousness  (2506.21485 - Aru, 26 Jun 2025) in Section "Neural processes underlying consciousness do not have to be simple"