Concise final definition
Under covolution theory, the conscious and unconscious minds are two operational regimes of one switching architecture. The unconscious is non-self-modeled switching that maintains, predicts, filters, and biases the horon without becoming reportable. Consciousness is switching integrated into the horon’s self-model, making selected information available for attention, narration, planning, communication, and deliberate action. The two modes exist because a covolving information object must perform far more computation than its limited self-modeling layer can handle, while still needing selected information to become globally integrated for complex social, symbolic, and future-directed life.
Very short version
The unconscious is non-self-modeled switching.
Consciousness is self-modeled switching.
They are not two minds, but two routing modes of one covolving horon.
Conscious and Unconscious Minds under Covolution Theory
Status: Working structural interpretation.
Covolution theory does not solve the hard problem of consciousness: why there is “something it is like” to be a system. It does not claim that switching architecture, self-modeling, or information integration fully explains subjective experience.
What the framework offers is more limited but useful:
It explains why a covolving information object would be expected to have two cognitive modes: one reportable and self-modeled, and one non-reportable but still computationally active.
Core idea
Under covolution theory, the conscious and unconscious minds are two operational regimes of one switching architecture.
They are not two substances.
They are not two separate minds.
They are not a rational mind versus an irrational mind.
They are two routing modes of switching.
| Mode | Covolutionary definition |
|---|---|
| Unconscious mind | Switching that maintains, predicts, filters, prepares, and biases the horon without being integrated into the self-model |
| Conscious mind | Switching that is integrated into the horon’s self-model, becoming reportable, narratable, deliberately modifiable, and socially communicable |
In concise form:
The unconscious is switching that does not pass through the self-modeling integration layer.
Consciousness is switching that does.
Key terms
Horon
A horon is a bounded, self-maintaining information object that preserves its identity through internal organization, predictive coupling, and interaction with its symvironment.
A human person is a complex biological, cognitive, social, and symbolic horon.
Self-model
A self-model is the system’s integrated representation of itself as an actor, perceiver, rememberer, sufferer, planner, and social being.
It allows the horon to represent states as:
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“I see this.”
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“I feel this.”
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“I remember this.”
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“I want this.”
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“I should do this.”
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“This future may happen to me.”
Switching
A switch is a state-changing decision point in an information system.
Examples include:
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attend or ignore,
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move or stay,
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speak or remain silent,
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trust or distrust,
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attack or tolerate,
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remember or suppress,
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act now or delay,
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interpret as safe or dangerous.
Consciousness and unconsciousness differ by how switching is routed.
Why two modes are structurally expected
1. Computational economy
A living information object must regulate enormous numbers of processes at once:
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heartbeat,
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breathing,
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balance,
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digestion,
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immune activity,
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hormonal tone,
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visual processing,
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pain detection,
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threat evaluation,
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motor control,
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memory retrieval,
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language preparation,
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social interpretation,
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action selection.
Routing all of this through consciousness would be too slow, too costly, and too bandwidth-limited.
Therefore, most switching remains unconscious.
This is not a defect.
It is an efficient architecture.
The unconscious exists because life requires massive hidden computation.
Consciousness exists because some selected computations must become integrated, reportable, and deliberately switchable.
2. Predictive coupling requires self-modeling, but only sometimes
Covolution theory says that living systems maintain themselves by predictive coupling with their symvironment.
They must anticipate:
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danger,
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reward,
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bodily needs,
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social signals,
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future states,
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possible actions.
But not all prediction requires consciousness.
Routine prediction
Routine prediction can occur without self-modeling.
Examples:
| Routine prediction | Why consciousness is unnecessary |
|---|---|
| Catching a ball | Sensorimotor prediction is fast and embodied |
| Reading familiar words | Language prediction is automatized |
| Walking | Balance and motor correction are continuous |
| Recognizing faces | Pattern recognition happens before explicit reflection |
| Driving a familiar route | Habitual switching handles most details |
These processes are intelligent, but they do not need to be represented as “I am now computing this.”
Deliberate prediction
Some prediction does require self-modeling.
Examples:
| Deliberate prediction | Why self-modeling is needed |
|---|---|
| Should I take this job? | The future depends on my identity, goals, risks, and values |
| Can I trust this person? | Requires social self-positioning |
| What kind of scientist should I become? | Requires narrative self-continuity |
| Should I apologize? | Requires self-other moral modeling |
| How should humanity overcome aging? | Requires symbolic future construction |
In these cases, the horon’s own decisions help shape the future. Therefore, the predictive model must include the horon itself.
This is where consciousness becomes useful.
Consciousness is prediction that has become self-involving.
3. Layered architecture is more robust
A system that routes everything through one integrated conscious layer would be fragile.
If that layer failed, the whole organism would fail.
But humans continue many functions during:
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sleep,
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anesthesia,
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dissociation,
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distraction,
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automatic behavior,
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intense habit,
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daydreaming.
This shows that much of the organism can continue without full conscious integration.
The conscious/unconscious division therefore provides robustness.
The unconscious keeps the organism running.
Consciousness intervenes when integration, explanation, planning, or redirection is needed.
What the unconscious mind does
The unconscious mind is the distributed, non-reportable switching system that maintains the organism and prepares conscious possibilities.
| Layer | Unconscious function |
|---|---|
| Autonomic | heart rate, digestion, arousal |
| Immune | self/non-self discrimination |
| Metabolic | energy allocation |
| Perceptual | pattern detection, sensory integration |
| Emotional | valuation and action preparation |
| Memory | implicit associations and priming |
| Motor | posture, gestures, learned skills |
| Social | rapid reading of faces, tone, status |
| Linguistic | word priming and grammar preparation |
| Motivational | desire and goal biasing |
| Defensive | stored trauma-related priors |
| Creative | hidden association and recombination |
The unconscious is not simply irrational. Some unconscious processing is highly intelligent.
For example:
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trained radiologists may perceive abnormalities before verbalizing why,
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expert drivers react before conscious reasoning,
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musicians improvise through deeply learned pattern switching,
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mathematicians may have intuitions before formal proof,
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clinicians may sense danger before articulating a diagnosis.
These are not irrational.
They are non-self-modeled switching.
That is different from the rational/irrational distinction.
What the conscious mind does
The conscious mind is the globally integrated, reportable, self-referential layer of switching.
It allows the horon to:
| Function | Conscious role |
|---|---|
| Attention | Select what matters now |
| Language | Name, explain, and share states |
| Planning | Simulate possible futures |
| Self-modeling | Represent “I am the one experiencing this” |
| Social coordination | Communicate intentions and reasons |
| Moral reasoning | Evaluate action beyond immediate impulse |
| Long-term goals | Override short-term drives |
| Explicit modeling | Build articulated models of reality |
| Error correction | Notice and revise automatic outputs |
| Cultural transmission | Convert internal states into shareable symbols |
Consciousness is not merely awareness.
It is a person-level switching interface where the horon becomes an object to itself.
The conscious horon can say:
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“I am afraid.”
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“I may be wrong.”
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“I should not act on this impulse.”
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“This theory needs correction.”
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“This future is worth pursuing.”
Consciousness makes self-correction possible.
The transition from unconscious to conscious
A workable covolutionary mechanism can be described in four stages.
1. Distributed unconscious computation
Many systems compute in parallel:
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sensory networks,
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emotional valuation,
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memory retrieval,
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social perception,
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motor preparation,
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reward systems,
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language priming,
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bodily regulation.
Most of this remains outside self-modeled awareness.
2. Salience competition
Signals compete for selection.
The system implicitly asks:
Which signal should control the next global integration?
Possible winners include:
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pain,
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danger,
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novelty,
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opportunity,
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social threat,
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moral conflict,
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unexpected error,
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bodily need,
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scientific insight.
3. Global integration into the self-model
The selected signal becomes integrated across:
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attention,
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memory,
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language,
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emotion,
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body state,
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action planning,
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self-representation.
It becomes reportable as:
“I am perceiving, feeling, thinking, remembering, or intending X.”
4. Deliberate switching
Once integrated into the self-model, the state can be deliberately modified.
The horon can:
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inhibit an impulse,
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choose a strategy,
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reinterpret a meaning,
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communicate a reason,
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make a plan,
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revise a theory,
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ask for help,
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change the symvironment.
Thus:
Consciousness emerges when unconscious switching becomes globally integrated into a self-referential switch.
This structural account is compatible with global workspace theories of consciousness, predictive processing accounts of self-modeling, and higher-order theories. Covolution theory does not replace those traditions. It places them inside a broader vocabulary of horons, switching architectures, information objects, and symvironmental coupling.
Why the unconscious is larger than consciousness
The unconscious is larger because it must maintain the whole organism. Consciousness is narrow because integration is expensive.
| Feature | Unconscious | Conscious |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Fast | Slow |
| Bandwidth | Massive | Narrow |
| Energy per selected item | Lower | Higher |
| Reportability | No | Yes |
| Time scale | milliseconds to lifetime | present moment to imagined future |
| Main function | maintain, predict, prepare | integrate, narrate, choose |
| Typical error | bias, habit, blind spot | overthinking, narrative distortion |
| Evolutionary depth | ancient | later-emerging |
| Relation to self-model | outside or weakly coupled | strongly integrated |
The mind is not divided because of a flaw.
It is divided because layering is efficient.
A useful analogy is a computer operating system. The user interface does not display every machine-level process. This is not because machine-level processes are mysterious. It is because exposing them all would overload the interface.
The conscious mind is like a high-level interface.
The unconscious mind is like the hidden operating architecture.
But the analogy is limited: a human is not merely a computer. A human horon is embodied, metabolic, emotional, social, historical, and mortal.
Routinization and disruption
Routinization moves switching out of consciousness
When a skill is new, it requires conscious attention.
Examples:
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learning to drive,
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learning a language,
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learning surgery,
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learning an instrument,
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learning a sport,
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learning laboratory technique.
At first, the self-model must monitor many steps.
With practice, the switching architecture becomes refined. The behavior becomes automatic. It no longer needs constant self-model integration.
So:
Learning often means moving switching from conscious control into efficient unconscious operation.
This frees consciousness for newly demanding cognition.
Disruption moves switching into consciousness
When automatic coherence fails, unconscious processes may enter consciousness.
| Normally unconscious | Becomes conscious when... |
|---|---|
| breathing | obstructed, painful, anxious |
| walking | slipping, injured, unstable |
| heartbeat | palpitations occur |
| digestion | nausea or pain appears |
| speech | words fail or social risk rises |
| driving | danger appears |
| posture | pain or imbalance appears |
| social perception | ambiguity or threat appears |
This fits covolution theory:
Consciousness is recruited when switching coherence is threatened, uncertain, novel, socially important, or future-relevant.
Mental illness as failure of coupling between modes
Several mental illnesses can be read as failures in the coupling between unconscious and conscious switching. This complements the broader covolutionary disease model rather than replacing psychiatry or neuroscience.
| Condition | Conscious-unconscious coupling pattern |
|---|---|
| Anxiety | Unconscious threat prediction floods conscious interpretation |
| Depression | Unconscious negative priors restrict conscious future models |
| PTSD | Unconscious trauma computation intrudes on present awareness |
| OCD | Conscious uncertainty becomes trapped in compulsive unconscious loops |
| Addiction | Unconscious reward switching overrides conscious goals |
| Psychosis | Unconscious salience is misclassified as externally perceived |
| Dissociation | Conscious self-model disconnects from body, memory, emotion, or action |
| Panic | Bodily arousal becomes consciously interpreted as catastrophe |
| Mania | Future-possibility switching escapes stabilizing constraints |
The framework’s claim is:
Mental health requires regulated permeability between unconscious and conscious switching.
Too little coupling may produce dissociation, numbness, rigidity, or lack of self-understanding.
Too much uncontrolled coupling may produce panic, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, craving, hallucination-like experience, or psychosis.
Healthy cognition is not total conscious control.
It is appropriate routing: the right amount of coupling at the right time.
Consciousness and cultural covolution
Human consciousness is distinctive because it is symbolic.
It does not merely register internal states. It names them.
Once named, conscious states become transmissible.
They can become:
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words,
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stories,
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promises,
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theories,
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laws,
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rituals,
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scientific models,
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technologies,
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institutions,
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moral systems.
This means consciousness allows biological computation to leave the individual organism and enter cultural switching networks.
A cell’s regulatory state usually stays inside the cell.
A human’s conscious state can be expressed in language and become input to other human minds, written records, institutional decisions, and technological systems.
Therefore:
Consciousness is the operational bridge by which organism-level covolution becomes cultural and technological covolution.
Without consciousness, biological information objects can still covolve.
With consciousness, biological information objects can participate in symbolic, scientific, economic, moral, and technological covolution.
Concrete examples
| Situation | Unconscious computation | Conscious computation |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting a stranger | reads face, tone, posture, danger, familiarity | “Can I trust this person?” |
| Feeling anxious | body arousal, threat prediction, memory activation | “Why am I anxious?” |
| Writing a theory | associations, intuitions, metaphors arise | deliberate structure, wording, argument |
| Deciding to invest | reward signals, fear signals, status cues | explicit risk reasoning |
| Facing illness | pain, fear, immune signals | meaning, treatment plan, decision |
| Driving in routine traffic | lane keeping, speed regulation, hazard scanning | conversation or navigation choice |
| Giving a lecture | speech habits, audience reading, memory priming | argument, emphasis, explanation |
| Making a moral decision | emotion, empathy, status, fear, habit | principle, responsibility, future consequence |
The conscious mind selects from and integrates across unconscious outputs.
The unconscious does most of the computation.
Consciousness decides what selected computation means for the person.
What the framework does not claim
The framework does not claim that:
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it solves the hard problem of consciousness;
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self-modeling automatically explains subjective experience;
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all unconscious processing is the same;
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consciousness is a separate substance;
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all mental illness is only a switching problem;
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neuroscience, psychiatry, and psychology can be replaced by covolutionary terminology;
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consciousness evolved through one simple adaptationist story;
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the boundary between conscious and unconscious is perfectly sharp.
The boundary is probably graded. There are intermediate states:
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peripheral awareness,
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fringe consciousness,
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marginal attention,
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implicit awareness,
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dream states,
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meditative states,
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hypnagogic states,
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dissociative states.
The two-mode account is a useful simplification, not a complete map.
Honest limits
This account is structural and high-level.
It does not yet specify:
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which neural mechanisms implement the self-modeling integration layer,
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how salience competition is adjudicated in real brains,
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what determines which unconscious contents become conscious,
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how conscious access differs across species,
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whether animal consciousness should be defined by self-modeling, reportability, affect, planning, or some other criterion,
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how to quantify switching integration in neural data.
These are empirical questions for neuroscience, cognitive science, computational psychiatry, comparative psychology, and artificial intelligence research.
Covolution theory can organize the questions, but it should not pretend to have already answered them.
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