This Contest Put Theories of Consciousness to the Test. Here’s What It Really Proved

In the field of consciousness studies, over 20 theories are still considered viable despite the abundance of data gathered over the past three decades. The science of consciousness was legitimized as a study topic by Francis Crick, the co-discoverer of DNA’s double helix structure. Researchers have since used advanced technologies to probe the brains of test subjects, tracing neural activity patterns that could be indicators of consciousness.

Five years ago, the Templeton World Charity Foundation initiated a series of “adversarial collaborations” to begin narrowing down the theories. The first of these collaborations took place in June, pitting two high-profile theories against each other: the global neuronal workspace theory (GNWT) and integrated information theory (IIT). However, neither theory emerged as a clear winner.

The results were announced at the 26th meeting of the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness in New York City. The event also settled a 25-year bet between neuroscientist Christof Koch and philosopher David Chalmers. Koch conceded that the neural correlates of consciousness had not yet been definitively identified. Despite this, Koch declared the event a victory for science.

Opinions on the event have been mixed. Some researchers criticize the failure to meaningfully test the differences between the two theories. Others praise the project for advancing consciousness science by providing large, novel datasets and encouraging other researchers to engage in their own adversarial collaborations.

The study of consciousness was originally focused on visual perception, a scientifically tractable aspect of consciousness. The goal was to find the neural circuitry that correlated with the conscious experience of seeing something, such as a color. This approach was useful because consciousness could be separated from the rest of the visual perception process. For example, people with “blindsight” can navigate a room without bumping into obstacles, despite having no conscious experience of vision due to brain damage.