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Mind

Theory of consciousness branded 'pseudoscience' by neuroscientists

Integrated information theory is seen by some people as a leading theory of consciousness, but now over 100 neuroscientists have signed an open letter calling it untestable pseudoscience

By Clare Wilson

19 September 2023

We don’t know where consciousness comes from

Henrik5000/iStockphoto/Getty Images

One of the leading theories of consciousness, known as integrated information theory or IIT, has been branded a pseudoscience in an open letter by 124 neuroscientists, including some of the field’s biggest names.

The letter, which was posted online last week and has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal, says that the most recent experimental evidence claimed to support IIT did not, in fact, test the core ideas of the theory, and that it is not even possible to do so.

The authors…

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