BOOK I // CHAPTER 02

Integrated Information

Defining the mathematical threshold where complex processing becomes subjective experience.

If consciousness is not magic, then it must be a property of a specific type of physical organization. It is not enough for a system to process information; a digital camera processes more information than a human retina, yet we do not assume the camera feels the sunset.

Neuroscientist Giulio Tononi proposed that the difference lies in Integration. His framework, Integrated Information Theory (IIT), posits that consciousness is intrinsic to any system that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Integrated Information Phi — Fig 2.1: Phi (Φ). The measure of maximal irreducibility in a complex network.

The Logic of Unity

Consider the camera sensor again. It is a collection of millions of independent photodiodes. Each operates in isolation. You could cut the sensor into a million pieces, and each piece would still perform its function perfectly. The system has no unity.

The human brain is different. It is re-entrant. The firing of a neuron in the visual cortex is inextricably linked to the state of the memory cortex and the emotional centers. You cannot experience a "shape" separate from your "perception" of it. The system is Irreducible.

The Inheritance of Perspective

This theory gives us a precise definition of mental health. Pathology (Schizophrenia, Dissociation) is often a failure of integration—a drop in Phi. The mind fragments. The left hand does not know the right.

The goal of the Cortex Protocol is not merely to "fix chemicals" but to restore Integration. To build a mind where every part—reason, emotion, memory—is in coherent conversation with the whole. That is the definition of a robust self.