The Causal Core as Interpreter

Contemporary cognitive science operates predominantly with a representational paradigm that implies a linear causal structure: stimuli become neuronal patterns, these patterns "represent" world states, and subsequent processing stages operate on these representations. This conception misses the actual functioning of conscious systems. The present article develops an alternative conception: The causal nucleus (CC) interprets incoming neuronal patterns instead of processing them. This interpretation is done by non-linear interference between input patterns and the coherent system state of the KK. Mathematical formalization as phase-amplitude coupling shows that meaning does not lie in the patterns themselves, but arises from their non-factorizable interaction with the interpreting system state. This conception has far-reaching consequences for our understanding of perception, cognition and consciousness.