Integrated Information Theory of Consciousness

The theory asserts that consciousness is just the integration of information. And this has degrees to it, simpler systems are less conscious and more complex systems are more conscious.

So, according to this theory, animals with smaller brains (activity) are technically less conscious than animals with bigger brains (activity). So mice and

Furthermore, more complex systems, which can integrate information more effectively, are considered to have a higher degree of consciousness compared to simpler systems.

Consciousness as a Spectrum

Consciousness, is commonly agreed upon to be a spectrum, not a binary state. Here are the key points:

1.

: Consciousness varies in degrees, from full awareness to states like dreaming or anesthesia.

3.

: While many agree on the spectrum concept, definitions and thresholds for consciousness differ among researchers.

Tononi uses 'phi' as a measure for consciousness- which is used to measure how 'integrated' information is.