Models of consciousness aim to inspire new experimental protocols and aid interpretation of empirical evidence to reveal the structure of conscious experience. Nevertheless, no current model is univocally accepted on either theoretical or empirical grounds. Moreover, a straightforward comparison is difficult for conceptual reasons. In particular, we argue that different models explicitly or implicitly subscribe to different notions of what constitutes a satisfactory explanation, use different tools in their explanatory endeavours and even aim to explain very different phenomena. We thus present a framework to compare existing models in the field with respect to what we call their ‘explanatory profiles’. We focus on the following minimal dimensions: mode of explanation, mechanisms of explanation and target of explanation. We also discuss the empirical consequences of the discussed discrepancies among models. This approach may eventually lead to identifying driving assumptions, theoretical commitments, experimental predictions and a better design of future testing experiments. Finally, our conclusion points to more integrative theoretical research, where axiomatic models may play a critical role in solving current theoretical and experimental contradictions.

中文翻译：

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意识模型的解释性概况 - 走向系统分类


意识模型旨在激发新的实验方案并帮助解释经验证据以揭示意识体验的结构。然而，无论是在理论还是经验上，目前的模型都没有被明确接受。此外，由于概念原因，直接比较是困难的。特别是，我们认为不同的模型明确或隐含地认同不同的概念，即什么构成令人满意的解释，在解释过程中使用不同的工具，甚至旨在解释截然不同的现象。因此，我们提出了一个框架来比较该领域的现有模型与我们所谓的“解释性概况”。我们关注以下最小维度：解释方式、解释机制和解释目标。我们还讨论了所讨论的模型之间差异的经验后果。这种方法最终可能会导致确定驱动假设、理论承诺、实验预测以及未来测试实验的更好设计。最后，我们的结论指出了更加综合的理论研究，其中公理模型可能在解决当前理论和实验矛盾中发挥关键作用。