The Integrated Information Theory (IIT) is ==a theory of consciousness that posits that consciousness arises from the integration of information within a physical system==. It suggests that consciousness is a fundamental property of physical systems that can generate integrated information, and the amount and quality of consciousness are directly related to the level of integration.  Here's a more detailed breakdown:  Key Concepts of IIT:  - **Integrated Information (Φ):** IIT proposes that a system's level of consciousness is quantified by its integrated information (Φ). This represents the total amount of information that the system can generate and how well it is integrated.  - **Qualia:** IIT attempts to explain the subjective experience of consciousness (qualia) by relating it to the specific cause-effect structure of a physical system.  - **Differentiation and Integration:** IIT suggests that consciousness has two key properties: the ability to differentiate among a large number of states and the ability to generate integrated information.  - **Ontological Reductivism:** IIT is considered an ontological reductionist theory, meaning it claims that consciousness is fundamentally the same as integrated information.  How IIT Works:  IIT proposes that consciousness arises from a system's ability to:  - **1.** **Take and Make a Difference:** The system must be able to influence itself and the [[Habitus|environment]], creating a causal structure.  - **2.** **Specialize Cause and Effect:** The system must have a specific, unitary, and definite cause-effect structure.  - **3.** **Specify Structure through Subsets:** The system must have subsets of its units that contribute to its cause-effect structure.  IIT's Implications:  - **Universal Theory of Consciousness:** IIT aims to provide a universal formula for consciousness, applicable to any physical system that can generate integrated information.  - **Consciousness and Moral Status:** IIT suggests that consciousness is a matter of degree, potentially leading to a reevaluation of moral status for different organisms.  - **Neurological Data:** IIT is consistent with neurological data and some of its core principles have been tested empirically.  - **Extremely Conscious vs. Not Conscious:** IIT implies that systems with high levels of integrated information, like [[Human brains]], are highly conscious, while systems with minimal integration, like individual cells in a plant, might not be conscious.  Criticisms of IIT:  - **Lack of a Practical Method:** Some critics argue that IIT lacks a practical method for measuring integrated information in a way that correlates with subjective experience.  - **Ontological Reductivism:** IIT's ontological [[Reductionism]] is a point of contention, as it suggests that consciousness is merely a physical state, potentially neglecting the subjective aspect of experience.  - **Alternative Theories:** There are alternative theories of consciousness, such as global workspace theory, that offer different explanations for the nature of consciousness. `Concepts:` `Knowledge Base:` --- Integrated Information Theory (IIT) is ==a scientific theory that seeks to explain consciousness by proposing that it is a fundamental property of physical systems that possess a specific level of **integrated information**==, denoted by the Greek letter   (phi). The theory identifies the essential properties of conscious experience and uses them to define the necessary and sufficient properties that a physical substrate must have to be conscious, including its quantity and quality. While ambitious, the theory has faced criticism and is considered a work in progress by many researchers.  Key concepts of Integrated Information Theory  - **Axioms and postulates**: IIT starts with the essential properties of experience (axioms) and translates them into necessary properties that a physical system must satisfy to be conscious (postulates). - **Integrated information A measure of how much a system's cause-effect power is irreducible to its parts. A system with high is conscious, while a system with low or zero is not.- **Quality of experience**: The theory suggests that the specific quality of an experience (e.g., seeing red vs. hearing a sound) corresponds to the specific set of informational relationships within the system.- **Application to systems**: IIT can, in principle, be applied to any physical system to determine if it is conscious, how much it is conscious and the quality of its experience.- **Predictions**: The theory makes testable predictions, such as how consciousness would be affected by brain damage or how the quality of experience would change with learning.- **Controversy**: The theory is not universally accepted. Some criticize its axiomatic foundation, and the strong version of the theory, which claims to provide a complete explanation of consciousness, is not always well-defined and lacks strong empirical support.  Contrasting IIT with other concepts - **Computers vs. brains**: A key difference highlighted by IIT is that while computers can have vast amounts of information, their structure is typically modular with low integration. As a result, they have very low and are considered unconscious by the theory, unlike the highly integrated structure of the brain. - **Group consciousness**: IIT suggests that group consciousness is unlikely because the interactions between individuals in a group would be too few, resulting in a low value for the whole group, lower than the sum of the values of the individual minds. Current status of the theory - **Work in progress**: IIT is viewed by many as a scientific theory that is still under development and refinement, not a finished product. - **Alternative interpretations**: Researchers have proposed distinguishing between a "weak" and "strong" version of IIT, with the weak version being more amenable to empirical testing and potentially having wider appeal. - **Methodology**: While some criticize its axiomatic approach, the theory continues to be a significant framework in consciousness research, generating a great deal of empirical work.