Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Mind as Coherence Maintenance argues that the defining function of mind is the continuous preservation of coherence under conditions of noise, pressure, and uncertainty. Rather than treating mind as computation, representation, prediction, or information processing, this paper identifies coherence maintenance as the primary operator that generates attention, identity, memory, meaning, reasoning, and cognitive stability. It shows how mental clarity and mental breakdown can be understood as shifts in coherence load and coherence strategy, offering a substrate‑independent account of mind that applies across biological, artificial, and social systems. By reframing mind as a coherence‑preserving architecture, the paper provides a unified framework for understanding cognitive function, dysfunction, and development, and positions coherence—not content—as the central explanatory principle of mental life.
Author: Bailey, Denis
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7166737692
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