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IIT, half masked and half disfigured

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2022

Giulio Tononi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI53719, USAgtononi@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/principal-investigator-giulio-tononi/boly@neurology.wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/melanie-boly-md-phd/grasso2@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/matteo-grasso-phd/bjuel@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/bjorn-erik-juel-phd/mayner@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-g-p-mayner/wmarshall3@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-marshall-phd/
Melanie Boly
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI53719, USAgtononi@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/principal-investigator-giulio-tononi/boly@neurology.wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/melanie-boly-md-phd/grasso2@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/matteo-grasso-phd/bjuel@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/bjorn-erik-juel-phd/mayner@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-g-p-mayner/wmarshall3@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-marshall-phd/
Matteo Grasso
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI53719, USAgtononi@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/principal-investigator-giulio-tononi/boly@neurology.wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/melanie-boly-md-phd/grasso2@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/matteo-grasso-phd/bjuel@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/bjorn-erik-juel-phd/mayner@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-g-p-mayner/wmarshall3@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-marshall-phd/
Jeremiah Hendren
Affiliation:
Graduate School Language & Literature, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, 82152Planegg, Germanyjeremiah.hendren@campus.lmu.dehttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/jeremiah-hendren/
Bjorn E. Juel
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI53719, USAgtononi@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/principal-investigator-giulio-tononi/boly@neurology.wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/melanie-boly-md-phd/grasso2@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/matteo-grasso-phd/bjuel@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/bjorn-erik-juel-phd/mayner@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-g-p-mayner/wmarshall3@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-marshall-phd/
William G. P. Mayner
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI53719, USAgtononi@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/principal-investigator-giulio-tononi/boly@neurology.wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/melanie-boly-md-phd/grasso2@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/matteo-grasso-phd/bjuel@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/bjorn-erik-juel-phd/mayner@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-g-p-mayner/wmarshall3@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-marshall-phd/
William Marshall
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI53719, USAgtononi@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/principal-investigator-giulio-tononi/boly@neurology.wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/melanie-boly-md-phd/grasso2@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/matteo-grasso-phd/bjuel@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/bjorn-erik-juel-phd/mayner@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-g-p-mayner/wmarshall3@wisc.eduhttps://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-marshall-phd/
Christof Koch
Affiliation:
Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA98109, USA. christofk@alleninstitute.org

Abstract

The target article misrepresents the foundations of integrated information theory (IIT) and ignores many essential publications. It, thus, falls to this lead commentary to outline the axioms and postulates of IIT and correct major misconceptions. The commentary also explains why IIT starts from phenomenology and why it predicts that only select physical substrates can support consciousness. Finally, it highlights that IIT's account of experience – a cause–effect structure quantified by integrated information – has nothing to do with “information transfer.”

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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