The most enigmatic aspect of consciousness is the fact that it is felt, as a subjective sensation. The theory proposed here aims to explain this particular aspect. The theory encompasses both the computation that is presumably involved and the way in which that computation may be realized in the brain's neurobiology. It is assumed that the brain makes an internal estimate of an individual's own evolutionary fitness, which can be shown to produce a special, distinct form of causation. Communicating components of the fitness estimate (either for external or for internal use) requires inverting them. Such inversion can be performed by the thalamocortical feedback loop in the mammalian brain, if that loop is operating in a switched, dual-stage mode. A first (nonconscious) stage produces forward estimates, whereas the second (conscious) stage inverts those estimates. It is argued that inversion produces another special, distinct form of causation, which is spatially localized and is plausibly sensed as the feeling of consciousness.

中文翻译：

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意识理论：计算，算法和神经生物学实现。

意识最神秘的方面是作为主观感觉而感到的事实。本文提出的理论旨在解释这一特定方面。该理论既包括可能涉及的计算，也包括可以在大脑的神经生物学中实现该计算的方式。假设大脑对一个人自身的进化适应度进行了内部估计，这可以证明产生了一种特殊的，独特的因果关系。交流适应性估算的各个组成部分（供外部或内部使用）要求将它们取反。如果该反转以双阶段切换模式进行，则可以通过哺乳动物大脑中的丘脑皮质反馈回路进行这种反转。第一阶段（无意识）产生前瞻性估计，而第二（有意识）阶段将这些估计值求反。有人认为，反转产生因果关系的另一种特殊形式，这种因果关系在空间上是局部的，并且有可能被感知为意识的感觉。