Accepted conference talk / working paper
Measuring the Unmeasurable: How Umwelt Information Content Drives the Emergence of Consciousness
A theory of consciousness centred on the temporal constraint between integration and adaptive response.
The Science of Consciousness, San Diego · 14 October 2026
Abstract
This work proposes that consciousness emerges as an evolutionary response to a temporal coordination constraint driven by Umwelt information content: the information-processing demand imposed on an organism by its ecological niche, as filtered through its sensory biology.
Central problem
As environmental information demand increases, the time required for global integration may approach the time available for adaptive response. The proposal asks what occurs when an organism must evaluate survival significance before information can be fully resolved.
Evidence status
The framework is a working paper accepted for presentation on 14 October 2026. Preliminary cross-species data are corroborating evidence; the temporal threshold remains a testable prediction.