[Martin Elster]

Like Max, I think Hoffman’s ideas are intriguing, which was why I started this thread. But having gotten somewhat more familiar with his theory, I am having trouble buying it. It seems far more likely that consciousness emerges (in a way scientists are still striving to understand) from more fundamental things (such as particles and fields) rather than the other way around. I found this summary of Hoffman’s theory (from Wikipedia). By the way, Roger Penrose’s ideas (which are far too complex for me) about how consciousness arises are also intriguing. Though difficult and controversial, his theories about consciousness are at least based (as far as I know) on physics rather than some sort of monism.

Introduction and overview

Hoffman notes that the commonly held view that brain activity causes conscious experience has, so far, proved to be intractable in terms of scientific explanation. Hoffman proposes a solution to the hard problem of consciousness by adopting the converse view that consciousness causes brain activity and, in fact, creates all objects and properties of the physical world. To this end, Hoffman developed and combined two theories: the "multimodal user interface" (MUI) theory of perception and "conscious realism".

Multimodal user interface (MUI) theory

MUI theory[2] states that "perceptual experiences do not match or approximate properties of the objective world, but instead provide a simplified, species-specific, user interface to that world." Hoffman argues that conscious beings have not evolved to perceive the world as it actually is but have evolved to perceive the world in a way that maximizes "fitness payoffs". Hoffman uses the metaphor of a computer desktop and icons - the icons of a computer desktop provide a functional interface so that the user does not have to deal with the underlying programming and electronics in order to use the computer efficiently. Similarly, objects that we perceive in time and space are metaphorical icons which act as our interface to the world and enable us to function as efficiently as possible without having to deal with the overwhelming amount of data underlying reality.

Conscious Realism

Conscious Realism is described as a non-physicalist monism which holds that consciousness is the primary reality and the physical world emerges from that. The objective world consists of conscious agents and their experiences that cannot be derived from physical particles and fields. "What exists in the objective world, independent of my perceptions, is a world of conscious agents, not a world of unconscious particles and fields. Those particles and fields are icons in the MUIs of conscious agents, but are not themselves fundamental denizens of the objective world. Consciousness is fundamental."

Perception of physical world is a byproduct of consciousness

Together, MUI theory and Conscious Realism form the foundation for an overall theory that the physical world is not objective but is an epiphenomenon (secondary phenomenon) caused by consciousness.
Hoffman has said that some form of reality may exist, but may be completely different from the reality our brains model and perceive. Reality may not be made of space time and physical objects.

Implications for evolution

Hoffmann has argued that fitness for evolution may be higher in entities that see some of reality, or create models of reality, than in those which see more or all of reality.