Neurophenomenal Structuralism and the Role of Computational Context

Abstract: Neurophenomenal structuralism posits that conscious experiences are defined relationally and that their phenomenal structures are mirrored by neural structures. While this approach offers a promising framework for identifying neural correlates of contents of consciousness (NCCCs), we argue that merely establishing structural correspondences between neural and phenomenal structures is insufficient. This paper emphasizes the critical role of computational context in determining the content of neural structures. We introduce four criteria - Sensitivity, Organization, Exploitation, and Contextualization - to evaluate which neural structures are viable NCCC candidates. These criteria highlight that, for neural structures to meaningfully mirror phenomenal structures they have to be actively exploited and be able to influence behavior in a structure-preserving way. Our analysis demonstrates that anatomical and causal neural structures fail to meet certain criteria, whereas activation structures can, provided they are embedded within the appropriate computational context. Our findings challenge both local and rich global structuralist theories for overlooking the content-constituting role of computational context, leading to proposed NCCCs that fail to fully account for conscious content. We conclude that incorporating computational context is essential for any structuralist account of consciousness, as it determines the nature of dimensions within neural activation spaces and, consequently, the content of conscious experiences.