对抗性合作:检验当代意识理论

Adversarial Collaboration:Testing Contemporary Theories of Consciousness

当代意识理论的发展可谓百花齐放、百家争鸣。意识理论大致可以划分为三类:形而上学理论、概念思辨理论、实验实证理论。不同意识理论所针对的意识内涵、神经机制以及预测存在分歧,因此如何检验和衡量当前诸多意识理论就被意识科学界提上了日程。对抗性合作是科学共同体深化科学合作的一种重要方式。由邓普顿世界慈善基金会资助的“加速意识研究”计划将这种方式引入意识理论的检验。该计划主要针对两个具有广泛影响力的意识理论——整合信息理论和全局神经工作空间理论,并对它们开展对抗性合作检验。对抗性合作有利于对不同的意识理论去伪存真、去粗取精,打破意识理论之间的壁垒,并有望达到多元理论的一个新的综合,为此有必要提出关于检验意识理论应该关注的标准,以及一种“恰当的”意识理论应该遵循的原则。

The development of contemporary theories of consciousness is like a hundred flowers in bloom,and letting a hundred schools of thought contend.The theories of consciousness can be roughly divided into three categories:metaphysical theory,conceptual speculative theory and experimental empirical theory.Different consciousness theories have different opinions on the connotation,neural mechanism and prediction of consciousness.Therefore,how to test and measure many current theories of consciousness has been put on the agenda of consciousness science.Adversarial collaboration is an important way for the scientific community to deepen scientific cooperation.“Accelerating Research in Consciousness”,funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation,introduces this approach to the test theories of consciousness.This program mainly aims at two influential theories of consciousness,Integrated Information Theory and Global Neural Workspace Theory,carrying out adversarial collaboration test on them.Adversarial collaboration is conducive to eliminating the false and retaining the true,eliminating the rough and picking the essence of different consciousness theories,breaking the barriers between consciousness theories,and is expected to achieve a new synthesis of multiple theories.Therefore,we will put forward somecriteria that should be paid attention to in testing the theories of consciousness,and point out the principles that a“proper”theory of consciousness should follow.