Consciousness as Complex Event

The book proposes a fresh way of studying consciousness. Its central claim is that what makes phenomenal experience so puzzling is that such experiences are extremely complex events in the brain.

First, the book gives an approachable introduction to descriptive complexity, also known as Kolmogorov Complexity, and shows how this information-theoretic tool can be applied to philosophical problems. It then uses the tool to argue that the most influential arguments against physicalism about consciousness are unsound. Along the way, it reviews the main literature and the current debates about consciousness.

Beyond this critique, the book sets out a rigorous new conception of physicalism, one that is also useful in disciplines outside philosophy. It closes with a constructive agenda for future research into phenomenal experience.

Written in a compact, easy-to-read style, the book is aimed at philosophers and cognitive scientists and will also be valuable to advanced philosophy students.