Head to head
Global Workspace Theory vs Christian Soul Theory
Baars’s and Dehaene’s Global Workspace Theory and Christian Soul Theory, compared field by field from their entries in the Atlas.
At a glance
- Global Workspace Theory belongs to the Materialism family in Kuhn's Landscape of Consciousness, Christian Soul Theory to Dualism.
- Global Workspace Theory treats consciousness as emergent; Christian Soul Theory treats it as fundamental.
- On AI consciousness, Global Workspace Theory says “Yes” and Christian Soul Theory says “Unlikely”.
- On life after death, Global Workspace Theory says “No” and Christian Soul Theory says “Yes”.
- On mind uploading, Global Workspace Theory says “Yes” and Christian Soul Theory says “No”.
- On meaning and purpose, Global Workspace Theory says “Humanistic only” and Christian Soul Theory says “Cosmic/Ultimate”.
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The claim
In brief
Global Workspace TheoryThis theory posits that conscious awareness is constituted by specific multi-sensory, multi-cognitive information that achieves brain-wide presence and broad accessibility. It conceptualizes consciousness as an inner 'theater' where this information is globally broadcast, reconciling the limited capacity of momentary conscious content with vast long-term memory access.
Christian Soul TheoryThis theory posits that the human person is composed of two fundamentally distinct substances: a wholly immaterial, substantial soul (the self) and a physical body or brain. The soul is the locus of consciousness, provides personal identity, and interacts with the body in a cause-and-effect manner.
What consciousness is
Global Workspace TheoryConsciousness is identified as the instantaneous global availability and broad accessibility of specific, integrated information across numerous specialized modular systems in the brain.
Christian Soul TheoryConsciousness and the mind are grounded in the substantial, unified, wholly immaterial soul, which is the entity that has experiences and grounds personal identity.
Big questions
Can AI be conscious?Differ
Global Workspace TheoryYesSince the theory defines consciousness in terms of information-processing computations and architectures, and proponents suggest novel machine architectures could be based on these computations, AI consciousness is possible in principle.
Christian Soul TheoryUnlikelyIf consciousness requires a radically separate, nonphysical substance (soul) that is divinely created or allocated, non-biological intelligences could not generate this necessary component, making AI consciousness impossible.
Global Workspace TheoryNoConsciousness is understood as being entirely dependent on specific, complex biological brain processes, which cease upon biological death.
Christian Soul TheoryYesThe soul is the ‘real you,’ existing independently of the body and providing the clearest mechanism for the persistence of individual consciousness post-mortem, fulfilling the core tenet of Abrahamic religions.
Global Workspace TheoryYesIf consciousness is wholly explained by the computational organization and information flow of the brain, a perfect duplication or uploading of these mechanisms into a non-biological substrate should preserve the first-person mental self.
Christian Soul TheoryNoUploading neural patterns and pathways would only duplicate the physical basis of consciousness. Since the necessary nonphysical substance (the soul) would be absent from the duplicate, first-person mental self-preservation would be impossible.
Global Workspace TheoryHumanistic onlyAs a Materialist/Neurobiological theory, it does not mandate ultimate cosmic meaning or purpose, but consciousness provides essential functions (like memory reconciliation and integrated awareness) that underpin human agency and self-created value.
Christian Soul TheoryCosmic/UltimateAs a theological theory, it provides ultimate meaning, purpose, and value tied to divine creation, destiny, and the spiritual nature of human existence.
Nature of mind
Ontology
Global Workspace TheoryPhysicalism
Christian Soul TheorySubstance Dualism. Reality consists of at least two ontological categories: physical (brain/body) and nonphysical (soul).
Mind and body
Global Workspace TheoryIdentity/Correlation. The mind (conscious awareness) is identified as, or strongly correlates with, the specific, biologically realized processes of global information broadcasting in the brain.
Christian Soul TheoryInteractionist: The immaterial soul relates to the physical body/brain in an informing and cause-effect way, meaning physical states cause phenomenal states, and phenomenal states cause physical states.
Fundamental or emergent
Global Workspace TheoryEmergent
Christian Soul TheoryPrimitive. The soul is a substantial, nonphysical substance, often held to be created and allocated by God (Creationism) rather than arising from material processes.
Qualia
Global Workspace TheoryPhenomenal experience (qualia) is accounted for by proposing a strictly biological mechanism for conscious awareness. Qualia correspond to the content of the integrated, reportable multi-sensory information that is broadly accessible within the global workspace.
Christian Soul TheoryQualia (qualitative feel) are phenomenal properties borne by the immaterial soul, which provides the single, unitary awareness of complex experiences.
How it works
Mechanism
Global Workspace TheoryGlobal broadcasting and accessibility of information, allowing a single coherent content to be made available to many specialized, unconscious modules simultaneously.
Christian Soul TheoryInteractionism, which requires that the physical world is not causally closed, allowing the nonphysical soul to exert causal power over the physical brain and vice versa.
Where it is
Global Workspace TheoryBrain-wide, encompassing widespread areas, particularly associated with frontal and parietal regions (often characterized as a 'front of the head' theory in contrast to 'back of the head' theories like IIT).
Christian Soul TheoryThe non-extended soul is associated with the body, being fully 'present' at each point within it.
What it does
Global Workspace TheoryGlobal broadcasting constitutes consciousness. Functionally, it allows for flexible control and reconciliation between limited momentary conscious content and long-term memory resources.
Christian Soul TheoryThe soul's main functional role is providing causal efficacy for mental states (especially in relation to libertarian free will) and grounding personal identity. It also gives form to and animates the body.
Evidence and criticism
Testability
Global Workspace TheoryEmpirically testable
Christian Soul TheorySpeculative/Philosophical. Direct empirical testing is impossible due to the soul’s nonphysical nature. It is argued that empirical evidence for survival beyond death (like NDEs/OBEs) would instantaneously falsify materialism and support dualism.
Tests so far
Global Workspace TheoryNeuroimaging and computer modeling studies used to investigate its claims. It is implicitly subject to the 'neurogeographic' debate contrasting 'front of the head' theories with posterior theories.
Christian Soul TheoryReported observations such as near-death experiences (NDEs) and out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are cited by adherents as phenomena requiring a nonphysical explanation, which the soul provides.
Criticisms
Global Workspace TheoryCriticized for focusing on 'access' rather than genuine phenomenal experience, exemplified by the critique that the theory is 'all about access but not about seeing'. It faces tension regarding whether global broadcasting is necessary or merely a consequence of consciousness.
Christian Soul TheoryThe primary tension is the problem of mental causation (how an immaterial soul can causally interact with the physical body/brain) and the conflict with the widely accepted scientific principle of the causal closure of the physical world. Critics often attribute persistence in this view to 'folk myths' or persistent traditions.
Sources
Key sources
Global Workspace Theory
- A Cognitive Theory of Consciousness (1988)
- In the Theater of Consciousness (1997)
- Towards a cognitive neuroscience of consciousness: basic evidence and a workspace framework, Dehaene and Naccache (2000)
Christian Soul Theory
- The Substance of Consciousness: A Comprehensive Defense of Contemporary Substance Dualism (2023)
- The Soul: How We Know It’s Real and Why it Matters, J.P. Moreland (2014)
- Mind, Brain, and Free Will, Richard Swinburne (2013)