Anil Seth: Consciousness ≠ Integrated Information

Integrated information theorists postulate a literal identity between consciousness and integrated information. The British neuroscientist Anil Seth rejects this identity.

The British neuroscientist Anil Seth puts the integrated information theory (IIT) position at its most simple when he tells us that

“on IIT information — *integrated* information, Φ — actually *is* consciousness”.

According to the neuroscientist Giulio Tononi, the mathematical measure of that integrated information (in a system) is symbolised by φ (phi).

It can be presumed that many people (at least the ones who think about this issue) would claim that consciousness (to use a metaphor) contains information. That is, a conscious state has (or it instantiates) informational content. However, is consciousness itself information?…

An integrated information theorist may now simply ask:

What is this consciousness which contains information?

Alternatively:

If you take the informational content of consciousness away, then what are you left with?

As just stated, IIT is an identity theory that postulates a literal identity between consciousness…