Computational Binding

The supporters of Representational Qualia Theory define consciousness to be “computationally bound elemental subjective qualities like redness, greenness, and warmth.” With abstract computers, computational binding is done between registers in a CPU, via discrete logic gates. Quantum theories of consciousness predict that this binding is achieved with some type of quantum entanglement. Wave theories of consciousness predict this is achieved by waves in neural tissue. Izhikevich and Hoppensteadt published a paper describing how computation can be done with waves intitled “POLYCHRONOUS WAVEFRONT COMPUTATIONS.” 

Any bit of subjective knowledge can only be a part of our unified conscious experience if it is computationally bound in with the rest of it. For each pixel of subjective visual knowledge, if you remove the computational binding, this pixel will become a blind spot. The qualities of that pixel will likely still exist, they will just be part of sub consciousness till it is plugged back into the computational binding system. The physics going on in the eye, the optic nerve, and so on, have no computational binding, so this all remains subconscious till the system renders the pixels of qualities into the CPU of our brain where the computational binding is occurring.

Computational binding of subjective experience gives us access to physics which objective observation, alone, cannot provide. We think color qualities like redness and greenness are qualities of something like a
strawberry we perceive. In reality these are qualities of our subjective knowledge of the strawberry. This is easily proven by the fact that you can put a red/green signal inverter anywhere along the chain of perception as illustrated in this image.

The supporting sub camps of Representational Qualia Theory are making different falsifiable predictions about the nature of color qualities. To test for this, you need to try the stuff of the various predictions and plug whatever that is into the computational binding system. The person will then be able to experience what it is like, together with the rest of their conscious knowledge. We will simply need to do this, till we find what it is that has the person’s redness experience.

When people have lesions which damage a part of the primary visual cortex, this causes a blind spot in their field of vision. Brain interface companies like Neuralink will be working to repair damage like this. But they will not be able to replace the missing pixels, with the various required quality capabilities till they know what it is, that has those required qualities. They will need to re-create each of the damaged pixels and wire the incoming data representing the various colors up to the right color qualities. Before the damage, each damage pixel was wired to a particular incoming signal representing that color. Until we know what each of those qualities are, we will not be able to achieve this task.