Riss, Uwe V. (2025) Consciousness as Exploration: From Functional Adaptation to Explicit Representation. [Preprint]

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Abstract

This paper proposes that the evolution of consciousness can be partially understood through increasingly complex forms of exploration. We trace how features such as integration, intentionality, temporality, and valence evolved as functional tools for dealing with uncertainty and contradiction. Central to this process is a shift from implicit to explicit representation, which we relate to established models of consciousness levels. Our approach emphasizes structural and functional continuity between these levels, while avoiding sharp thresholds or binary distinctions. Understood as exploration, consciousness supports what Stegmaier (2019) calls orientation, the achievement of finding one’s way in a changing environment by establishing temporary relevance and stability in conditions of uncertainty. We argue that exploration provides a productive framework for understanding how conscious capacities developed in response to situational demands. The account further raises questions about the conditions under which synthetic systems might replicate conscious capacities, highlighting the role of affect, embodiment, and representational structure in the evolution of conscious cognition.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Riss, Uwe V. uwe.riss@gmail.com 0000-0003-0123-272X
Keywords:	Consciousness, Exploration, Mental Representation, Cognition, Evolution, Phenomenology
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Action Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory Specific Sciences > Biology > Function/Teleology Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Consciousness Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Perception
Depositing User:	Uwe V. Riss
Date Deposited:	20 Jul 2025 13:53
Last Modified:	20 Jul 2025 13:53
Item ID:	25988
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Action Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory Specific Sciences > Biology > Function/Teleology Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Consciousness Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Perception
Date:	27 May 2025
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/25988

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