I watched ustream of ASSC17 with great interest. During the ASSC17 I felt the weight of IIT (integrated information theory) increased gradually. (Also I heard the era of NCC was over. However I think the observation method for NCC will be also used for future reserch.)
Before (around April 2012), From image of IIT I also associated with "association" that is the key of my hypothesis. This week I re-read (a little old) post of scientificamerican, documents from twitter, and the Wikipedia, regarding IIT again. I re-understand that Phi: a level of integrated information theory is similar to possibility of association.
Therefore I understand the idea of Giulio Tononi is not far from the idea of Jeff Hawkins. (Hmm Tononi would not understand that.) I would like to ask Hawkins how he understand Phi. I think the key of Hawkins' hypothesis is also association. So I expect he understands well.
Though I do not understand 100% of the idea of Tononi, my hypothesis: association to prediction, metacognition, free will, and seamless access between the [usual] episodic memory and memory of [genes] like instinct might be explained by this, if IIT relates to association. It is difficult for me to show my hypothesis with numerical expression. However the idea of Tononi might be a hint of the method. Though there may be unconscious in spite of high Phi, it probably is the problem of threshold. And the threshold is based on surprise, and I think it is a function of metacognition.
At this point I do not say whether Phi is same as phenomenal consciousness, or not. I do not care if qualia affects brain or not, if I accept qualia arises from physical phenomenon.
As I tweeted before, consciousness outline would be found out in a year or so. If Phi is similar to possibility of association, we could find conscious arises automatically from association between each information. At this point "association" means the process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination.
*This entry is retouched based on the twitter on 7/22/2013.
Keyword: neuroscience, consciousness
