Sharing the World-A Social Aspect of Consciousness.

Abstract

Moving through our environment generates multiple changes in my sensations. But I do not experience the environment as changing. My conscious perceptual experience is of a stable environment through which I move. This perception is created by intricate neural computations that automatically take account of my movements. The stable environment that I experience is independent of my actions. As a result, I experience it as objective: a set of facts about the world that constrain my movements. Because it is objective I expect that it will also constrain the movements of others in the same way, whether these are rocks rolling down a hill or animals foraging for food. This experience of objectivity creates a shared understanding of the world that enhances our interactions with others. Our perceptual experiences, while personal, are shaped by our model of the world, and since others are modelling the same world, their models will be very similar. Interactions with others will further increase this similarity. The models create a form of common knowledge. This common knowledge is an inherent feature of our basic conscious perception, even when we're not actively reflecting on or deliberately sharing our experiences. The common knowledge created by our conscious perception of the world enables the coordination of behaviour which is a critical precursor for the evolution of cooperative behaviour.