Head to head
Attention Schema Theory vs Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism
Attention Schema Theory and Analytic Idealism, compared field by field from their entries in the Atlas.
At a glance
- Attention Schema Theory belongs to the Materialism family in Kuhn's Landscape of Consciousness, Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism to Idealism.
- Attention Schema Theory treats consciousness as emergent; Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism treats it as fundamental.
- On AI consciousness, Attention Schema Theory says “Likely” and Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism says “No”.
- On life after death, Attention Schema Theory says “No” and Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism says “Likely”.
- On mind uploading, Attention Schema Theory says “Possible” and Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism says “No”.
- On meaning and purpose, Attention Schema Theory says “Humanistic only” and Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism says “Cosmic/Ultimate”.
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The claim
In brief
Attention Schema TheoryThis theory posits that consciousness arises when the brain constructs a quick, simplified, internal model—an attention schema—of its own process of attention. The brain mistakenly interprets and reports this internal representation as a subjective, non-physical essence or a 'self-caricature,' even though it is fundamentally a computational product.
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismAnalytic Idealism is a consciousness-only ontology asserting that phenomenal consciousness is fundamental, the singular primitive of reality. Everything else in nature, including the physical world and individual minds, is grounded in patterns of excitation or expressions of this spatially unbound cosmic consciousness.
What consciousness is
Attention Schema TheoryConsciousness is identified as the brain’s internal representation or simplified model of its own mechanism of attention (the attention schema), which is a specific example of higher-order thought.
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismConsciousness is identified as the singular, spatially unbound, fundamental ontological primitive (cosmic consciousness).
Big questions
Can AI be conscious?Differ
Attention Schema TheoryLikelySince consciousness is defined as a computational process (the creation of an attention schema), in principle, artificial systems that implement the necessary computational architecture could become conscious. Furthermore, observers will inevitably make the social attribution of consciousness to sufficiently complex AI systems that act like they are conscious.
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismNoKastrup suggests conscious AI is a fantasy, arguing that consciousness is not reducible to computation or information processing that current computers perform. Consciousness is tied to fundamental phenomenal reality, not hardware function.
Attention Schema TheoryNoAs a Materialist/Neurobiological theory, consciousness is tied to the physical substrate (the biological, information-processing machine), precluding survival beyond the decay of the body.
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismLikelyBodily death is predicted to result in the cessation of the local boundary (dissociated alter), causing conscious inner life to expand back into the underlying universal consciousness. This is supported circumstantially by reports of near-death experiences (NDEs).
Attention Schema TheoryPossibleIf the consciousness is realized as a computational structure (the attention schema), and if this structure and the relevant information processing systems can be accurately uploaded to a non-biological medium, virtual immortality is theoretically possible.
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismNoConsciousness is not an algorithm or software program reducible to physical structure; therefore, uploading neural patterns (simulated continuation) would only result in a functional duplication ('deep fake') lacking true subjective experience.
Attention Schema TheoryHumanistic onlyConsciousness provides an adaptive, evolutionary purpose (monitoring and regulating attention for action control), but does not imply any ultimate or cosmic meaning, consistent with Materialism.
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismCosmic/UltimateAs consciousness is ultimate reality, existence is fundamentally grounded in mind/awareness, intrinsically providing meaning and purpose rooted in the singular, fundamental consciousness.
Nature of mind
Ontology
Attention Schema TheoryPhysicalism
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismIdealism (Modern analytic metaphysics)
Mind and body
Attention Schema TheoryConsciousness is the report generated by a biological, information processing machine (the brain) through the assessment of its internal data, meaning mental states are computational and wholly physical.
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismIndividual minds are dissociated alters of the cosmic consciousness. The inanimate physical world is the extrinsic view of thoughts and emotions within this universal consciousness, meaning a physical world independent of consciousness is a mistaken intellectual abstraction.
Fundamental or emergent
Attention Schema TheoryEmergent
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismPrimitive (Fundamental)
Qualia
Attention Schema TheoryConsciousness is described as a 'self-caricature' or an illusory report of a non-physical essence, suggesting a deflationary or illusionist account of qualia, akin to Daniel Dennett’s view.
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismQualia are intrinsically real and fundamental, constituting patterns of excitation within the fundamental phenomenal consciousness.
How it works
Mechanism
Attention Schema TheoryThe construction and maintenance of a simplified internal model (the attention schema) of the process of attention, rooted in principles from control engineering.
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismThe principle of dissociation, which localizes the unitary cosmic consciousness into seemingly isolated subjects (alters).
Where it is
Attention Schema TheoryLocated within the biological, information-processing system of the brain.
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismUbiquitous; consciousness is fundamental and spatially unbound. Individual conscious subjects are localized boundary conditions (dissociated alters).
What it does
Attention Schema TheoryThe functional role of the attention schema is to monitor and regulate the brain's attention in order to control actions in the world. The resulting capacity allows the system to claim consciousness.
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismCausation is grounded in consciousness itself. The inanimate world is the extrinsic manifestation of universal mentation, while the brain serves to constrain or mediate individual consciousness.
Evidence and criticism
Testability
Attention Schema TheoryEmpirically testable
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismSpeculative/Conceptual. Testable primarily by demonstrating the incoherence or lack of parsimony of rival metaphysical theories and by predicting experiential outcomes in extreme states.
Tests so far
Attention Schema TheoryNot stated
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismCites neuroimaging of psychedelic states (rich experience correlating with reduced brain activity) to critique physicalist theories.
Criticisms
Attention Schema TheoryThe theory explains how a system can *claim* consciousness but faces the general limitation, shared by similar functionalist models, of conclusively proving or explaining the actual subjective feel (the 'anybody home' problem) which remains eternally uncertain, even by the proponent's admission.
Kastrup’s Analytic IdealismThe main critical challenge is the 'decomposition problem': explaining how seemingly distinct phenomenal inner lives of subjects can arise within a fundamentally unitary phenomenal field. Also must reconcile the independence of the common external world from personal volition.
Sources
Key sources
Attention Schema Theory
- True nature of consciousness: solving the biggest mystery of your mind, M. Graziano (2019)
- Rethinking Consciousness: A Scientific Theory of Subjective Experience, M. Graziano (2019)
- Can consciousness be non-biological?, M. Graziano (2014)
Kastrup’s Analytic Idealism
- An ontological solution to the mind-body problem (2017)
- The universe in consciousness (2018)
- Analytic Idealism: A Consciousness-Only Ontology, Dissertation (2019)