The Easy Part of the Hard Problem: A Resonance Theory of Consciousness

Abstract

Synchronization, harmonization, vibrations, or simply resonance, in its most general sense, seem to have an integral relationship with consciousness itself. One of the possible “neural correlates of consciousness” in the mammalian brain is a specific combination of gamma, beta, and theta electrical synchrony. More generally, we observe similar resonance patterns in living and non-living structures of many types. What clues can resonance provide about the nature of consciousness in general? This article provides an overview of resonant structures in the fields of neuroscience, biology, and physics and offers a possible solution to what we consider the “easy part” of the “hard problem” of consciousness, commonly known as the “combination problem.” The combination problem asks: how do micro-conscious entities combine into a higher-level macro-consciousness? The solution proposed in the context of mammalian consciousness suggests that shared resonance is what allows different parts of the brain to achieve a phase transition in the speed and bandwidth of information flows between constituent parts. This phase transition allows for the emergence of richer varieties of consciousness, whose character and content at any given moment are determined by the particular set of constituent neurons.

We also offer more general insights into the ontology of consciousness and suggest that consciousness manifests as a continuum of increasing richness across all physical processes, distinguishing our view from emergentist materialism. We refer to this approach, a meta-synthesis, as a (general) theory of the resonance of consciousness. We offer some suggestions for testing the theory.