Small Worlds Big Ideas: The User-Illusion of Consciousness

Christopher Viger (University of Western Ontario)

Research into the patterns of neural connectivity using graph theory, connectomics, suggests that the brain has a small-world architecture, in which most connections between nodes are local, with relatively few long-ranging connections. I consider how this overall architecture underpins concept possession, which offers insights into language-thought relations. Furthermore, activity in long-range networks has been correlated with consciousness. I argue that a consequence of this architecture is a user-illusion of consciousness.