The first presentation of the Work-In-Progress series will be given by Moritz Kriegleder this coming Monday. Their presentation is entitled "Minimal Models of Consciousness and the First Person Perspective."
Abstract:
In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in mathematical models of consciousness within the fields of cognitive neuroscience and philosophy of mind. While some widely recognized approaches like the Global Workspace and Attention Schema Theory primarily focus on what Ned Block termed "access consciousness," I contend that a comprehensive model of consciousness should not only account for phenomenal consciousness but also incorporate the first-person perspective of a conscious entity at its core. Given the multitude of existing consciousness models, Wanja Wiese has suggested that researchers should prioritize comparative analysis and establish essential criteria for a minimal unifying model. Drawing from concepts in embodied cognition and philosophy of modeling, my research explores these newly proposed mathematical and philosophical tools. As a specific case study, I examine the inner screen model, which is founded on the free energy principle, and evaluate how it addresses the first-person perspective. While this model has been put forth as a potential minimal unifying model of consciousness, I argue that it falls short of meeting all the necessary conditions and discuss possible extensions.
The presentation will take place in Hörsaal 3A (NIG, Universitätsstraße 7, 3.Stock) at 13:30 and will last up to sixty minutes. All are invited to join afterwards for refreshments and snacks before the Writing Evening begins.
Please let us know (wip.philosophie@univie.ac.at) if you have any questions or if you would like to present for the Work-in-Progress series yourself. You can find calendar and event information at: https://vd-philosophy.univie.ac.at/phd-program/doctoral-training/wip-series/.
Best wishes and we hope to see all of you there!
