Integrated Information Theory: Formalizing Consciousness via Causal Power and Phi — E8 Intelligence Research
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: FINDING: IIT formalizes consciousness as integrated information (Φ), a scalar quantity derived from a system's causal power structure, with PyPhi as its computational implementation. | MATH: Φ = minimum information partition (MIP) distance — Φ = min over partitions P of (effect/repertoire divergence), typically computed via Earth Mover's Distance (EMD) on probability distributions over system states; IIT 3.0 defines Φ as the intrinsic cause-effect power of a system in its current state, with the "exclusion" postulate selecting the maximally irreducible substrate. | CONNECTION: The MIP partition and Φ computation involve lattice-like structures over system subsets (power set lattice); the "cause-effect structure" forms a poset with symmetries under system automorphisms — but no explicit golden ratio, base-60, or crystallographic constants appear in the cited material. | DEPTH: 6 — mathematically rigorous (discrete probability, information geometry, computational complexity), but the fin Author: Andrew Stewart Caldin, Independent Researcher, UK. Part of the E8 Intelligence Research series. Platform: e8intelligence.com
Author: Caldin, Andrew Stewart
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204139959
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: