Integrated Predictive Workspace Theory: Towards a Unified Framework for the Science of Consciousness

TL;DR: Consciousness is the synergistic information that emerges within a workspace instance, driven by predictive coding and free energy principle.

The Integrated Predictive Workspace Theory (IPWT) presents a unified framework for the science of consciousness. It systematically integrates Predictive Coding Theory (PCT) and the Free Energy Principle (FEP) as the dynamic foundation for the generation and maintenance of conscious content, alongside Workspace Theory (WT) as the architectural platform for information integration and global broadcasting.

A pivotal innovation of IPWT involves the computational reconstruction of Integrated Information Theory (IIT)'s phenomenological axioms. This is achieved by introducing the concept of "logical irreducibility of information integration," grounded in synergistic information, which supersedes IIT's original reliance on physical causal indivisibility. This reinterpretation enables IPWT to be applied at the information flow and computational levels, thereby liberating it from strict dependence on specific physical causal topologies and effectively addressing the computational intractability inherent in the original IIT.

IPWT is designed to offer a computationally feasible and clinically robust model of consciousness, providing a unified paradigm for consciousness science and theoretical guidance for the understanding and intervention of mental disorders, while also possessing significant philosophical depth.

For technical applications and sociological unit tests of this research, please refer to Chain://.

The nascent form of this theoretical framework was initially developed as a foundational setting for the science fiction world-building project "Chain://". This project is dedicated to exploring the profound impacts that the core concept of Formalized Realism might trigger at social, technological, and philosophical levels. In the process of constructing the inherent logic and operating rules for the "Chain://" universe, we gradually refined and formalized the core ideas of this framework. Therefore, the birth of this research is inseparable from the vast imaginative space and rigorous logical deduction requirements provided by science fiction creation. We extend our sincere gratitude to all artificial intelligence systems involved in this cross-disciplinary exploration, as it was this clash of ideas that gave rise to the possibility of transforming fictional world settings into serious scientific theories.