Consciousness in the Age of Intelligent Systems: Philosophical Frameworks, Neural Theories, and Generative AI

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to investigate the nature, structure, and function of consciousness in light of emerging insights from philosophy, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. Central to its focus are questions surrounding the phenomenal character of experience, the unity and selfhood of consciousness, and its relation to information, computation, and embodiment. The Issue engages with recent developments in intelligent systems to explore their implications for longstanding debates in the philosophy of mind, particularly regarding theory selection and explanatory strategies. The scope of this publication includes foundational issues—such as the ontology of consciousness and its explanatory gaps—as well as theory comparison (e.g., Global Neuronal Workspace vs. Integrated Information Theory), methodological considerations (e.g., operationalization, measurement), and ethical dimensions (e.g., agency, machine consciousness, and normative frameworks). The overarching purpose is to synthesize the dialogs and discourses that remain fragmented across disciplinary boundaries.

This Issue builds upon sustained debates in analytic philosophy of mind and responds to growing interest in the “philosophy–science–technology” syntheses highlighted by Philosophies. We aim to complement earlier Special Issues while addressing a rapidly evolving frontier: the intersection of consciousness studies with computational neuroscience and generative AI. In line with the journal’s 2024 editorial direction, this Issue values philosophically grounded, methodologically rigorous, and practically relevant contributions that reflect the renewed integration of conceptual and empirical inquiry.

Suggested Themes and Article Types

We welcome both original research articles and comprehensive reviews. Illustrative topics include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

(1) Phenomenology, selfhood, and minimal phenomenal experience;
(2) Representational, higher-order, enactive, and embodied models of consciousness;
(3) Comparative analysis of GNW, IIT, predictive processing, and free-energy theories;
(4) Conceptual critiques of consciousness measures and operational definitions;
(5) Consciousness in relation to agency, responsibility, and normativity;
(6) Philosophical implications of machine consciousness and evaluation frameworks;
(7) Cross-cultural and historical perspectives that enrich contemporary models;
(8) Meta-theoretical and methodological reflections, such as inference to the best explanation or modeling strategies in consciousness science.

All submissions must clearly articulate the philosophical contribution of any interdisciplinary inquiry.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200 words summarizing their intended contribution. It should be sent to the guest editors (jhutson@lindenwood.edu) (l.m.possati@utwente.nl) or to Philosophies editorial office (philosophies@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editors for the purpose of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

Prof. Dr. James Hutson
Dr. Luca M. Possati
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Philosophies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• consciousness
• philosophy of mind
• phenomenology
• neural theories (GNW, IIT)
• predictive processing
• enactivism and embodiment
• machine consciousness
• agency and responsibility
• measurement of consciousness
• philosophy of information