“What Am I — Qualia, Brahman, Neurons, or just Nothing?”
Global Workspace Theory, developed by Bernard Baars and Stanislas Dehaene, is a leading cognitive model. It views consciousness as a global distribution network, where information processed locally becomes conscious when broadcast to the rest of the brain.
GWT uses the metaphor of a theater. Unconscious processors work in the dark wings of the stage. Information becomes conscious when it enters the spotlight of attention on the stage (the global workspace), allowing it to be shared with other cognitive systems like memory and motor control.
The vast majority of the brain's computational work is subliminal and local, such as language parsing and motor coordination. GWT defines consciousness as a functional gatekeeper, selecting which information is relevant enough to be broadcast globally for flexible behavior.
Critics point out that GWT is a theory of *access* consciousness—explaining how information is made available for reasoning and report. It does not explain *phenomenal* consciousness: why this global broadcast is accompanied by a subjective 'feel' from the inside.
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