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IIT, half masked and half disfigured

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2022

Giulio Tononi ,
Melanie Boly ,
Matteo Grasso ,
Jeremiah Hendren ,
Bjorn E. Juel ,
William G. P. Mayner ,
William Marshall  and
Christof Koch
Giulio Tononi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53719, USA gtononi@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/principal-investigator-giulio-tononi/ boly@neurology.wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/melanie-boly-md-phd/ grasso2@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/matteo-grasso-phd/ bjuel@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/bjorn-erik-juel-phd/ mayner@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-g-p-mayner/ wmarshall3@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-marshall-phd/
Melanie Boly
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53719, USA gtononi@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/principal-investigator-giulio-tononi/ boly@neurology.wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/melanie-boly-md-phd/ grasso2@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/matteo-grasso-phd/ bjuel@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/bjorn-erik-juel-phd/ mayner@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-g-p-mayner/ wmarshall3@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-marshall-phd/
Matteo Grasso
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53719, USA gtononi@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/principal-investigator-giulio-tononi/ boly@neurology.wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/melanie-boly-md-phd/ grasso2@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/matteo-grasso-phd/ bjuel@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/bjorn-erik-juel-phd/ mayner@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-g-p-mayner/ wmarshall3@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-marshall-phd/
Jeremiah Hendren
Affiliation:
Graduate School Language & Literature, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, 82152 Planegg, Germany jeremiah.hendren@campus.lmu.de https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/jeremiah-hendren/
Bjorn E. Juel
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53719, USA gtononi@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/principal-investigator-giulio-tononi/ boly@neurology.wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/melanie-boly-md-phd/ grasso2@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/matteo-grasso-phd/ bjuel@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/bjorn-erik-juel-phd/ mayner@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-g-p-mayner/ wmarshall3@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-marshall-phd/
William G. P. Mayner
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53719, USA gtononi@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/principal-investigator-giulio-tononi/ boly@neurology.wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/melanie-boly-md-phd/ grasso2@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/matteo-grasso-phd/ bjuel@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/bjorn-erik-juel-phd/ mayner@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-g-p-mayner/ wmarshall3@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-marshall-phd/
William Marshall
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53719, USA gtononi@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/principal-investigator-giulio-tononi/ boly@neurology.wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/melanie-boly-md-phd/ grasso2@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/matteo-grasso-phd/ bjuel@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/bjorn-erik-juel-phd/ mayner@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-g-p-mayner/ wmarshall3@wisc.edu https://centerforsleepandconsciousness.psychiatry.wisc.edu/people/william-marshall-phd/
Christof Koch
Affiliation:
Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA 98109, USA. christofk@alleninstitute.org
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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.”

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 45 , 2022 , e60
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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