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Sensory horizons, reality monitoring, and the higher-order nature of consciousness: A critical look

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2026

Axel Cleeremans  and
Krzysztof Dołęga Open the ORCID record for Krzysztof Dołęga [Opens in a new window]
Axel Cleeremans
Affiliation:
Center for Research in Cognition & Neurosciences, Université libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium axel.cleeremans@ulb.be
Krzysztof Dołęga*
Affiliation:
Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany krzysztof.dolega@rub.de https://axc.ulb.be https://www.krysdolega.xyz
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Fleming and Michel’s hypothesis about the origins of consciousness not only faces multiple challenges but also overlooks phenomenal experience—the very phenomenon that needs explaining. Although we are in broad agreement with the authors’ overall perspective, we highlight challenges and suggest that consciousness evolved to attribute subjective value, enabling organisms to care about and act upon what they sense.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e172
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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