The Hard Problem of Consciousness and the Free Energy Principle

gist

Mark Solms argues that consciousness is at root felt affect, produced by extended homeostasis in the upper brainstem rather than the cortex. He drops the idea that the brain produces experience and takes a dual-aspect monist view, so one functional organization underlies both physiology and feeling. He formalizes that organization with the free energy principle. Rising and falling expected uncertainty is felt as unpleasure and pleasure.

ideas

• The brain does not cause consciousness. Solms treats physiology and experience as two appearances of one underlying process, which dissolves the need for a metaphysical transformation.
• Affect is the elemental form of consciousness. Small lesions of the upper brainstem abolish consciousness, while children born without cortex still show emotion.
• Feeling is homeostasis in unpredicted contexts. Free energy minimization, the drive to reduce expected surprise, is felt when uncertainty about vital needs rises or falls.
• Cortical consciousness delays action so thinking can happen. Working memory holds uncertain predictions open, and conscious reconsolidation of memory is prediction work in progress.

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