I’ve recently posted a new paper on consciousness to the preprint server arXiv. A preprint server is how many scientists share work with colleagues and the public before it has gone through formal peer review and journal publication, so this paper has not yet been peer-reviewed—that is the next step.
The Paper Itself
Title: The Modeler-Schema Theory of Consciousness, with a Falsifiable Experiment
arXiv link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.01073
That page shows the basic information (category, submission date, abstract, etc.). To read the full paper, click “View PDF” under “Access paper” in the upper right. The paper is 37 pages with 6 figures and goes into the full details of the theory and the proposed experiment.
Very briefly, the paper proposes:
- A multi-agent architecture for the brain (Modeler, Controller, Targeter, and their regulatory “schema” agents).
- A specific agent, the Modeler-Schema, as the locus of conscious experience.
- A falsifiable vision experiment involving eye movements (saccades) that could confirm or disprove the theory.
- Proposes that this theory provides a solution to the Hard Problem of Consciousness.
Short, Accessible Overviews
If you would prefer short, readable summaries instead of the full technical paper, my friend David McFadzean has written two companion essays.
1. Consciousness Explained (overview of the theory)
https://axio.fyi/p/consciousness-explained
This post gives a clear, non-technical overview of the main ideas. It explains:
- The different “agents” that make up the brain in the theory.
- The single agent (the Modeler-Schema) that is responsible for all conscious experiences.
- The simple eye-movement experiment that could either support or falsify the theory—what I hope makes this a scientific theory of consciousness, not just a philosophical story.
2. Beyond Consciousness Explained (philosophical context)
https://axio.fyi/p/beyond-consciousness-explained
This follow-up piece connects the theory to well-known philosophical debates about consciousness, especially the so-called “Hard Problem”—the claim that consciousness cannot be fully explained by a physical system.
In the Modeler-Schema framework:
- Everything in the theory is physical and mechanistic.
- If the proposed experiment confirms the theory, it would provide a counterexample to the idea that the Hard Problem is unsolvable.
- In other words (from my perspective), the Hard Problem becomes a design problem: define the right kind of control agent and test its predictions.
Independent Write-Up at Daily Neuron
An independent science writer, George Semaan, came across the paper and wrote his own summary for a general audience:
This Daily Neuron article offers another easy-to-read description of the theory. It uses everyday metaphors (CEOs, floodlights, backstage crews, etc.) and emphasizes one of the most surprising claims:
The part of you that talks and acts (the Controller) is not the part that is actually conscious.
Instead, consciousness is attributed to a “hidden” regulatory agent—the Modeler-Schema—that performs quality control on your internal model of the world.
Taken together, these three links—the full paper on arXiv, David’s two essays, and the Daily Neuron article—provide several different levels of entry into the same underlying theory of consciousness.
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The Presentation of an Early Version
Here is a 27-minute video of my talk at The Science of Consciousness Conference in Tucson, AZ, on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. This talk is based on a previous, more complicated, version of this theory entitled “The Model Constructor Schema: A Potential Solution to the Hard Problem of Consciousness.” At the time of this talk, I had not proposed an experimental test that could falsify the theory. The new theory, shown above, is a far better and more understandable theory.
Here is the abstract of that talk:
The Model Constructor Schema: A Potential Solution to the Hard Problem of Consciousness
This talk presents a holistic framework to understand consciousness, focusing on the brain’s information processing and consequent creation of conscious experiences. It introduces a dual-agent model for the information processed by the human agent. We delineate the roles of the two sub-agents comprising the human agent: the Modeler and the Controller. The Modeler constructs the Complete World Model, including Concrete and Abstract World Models and several auxiliary models. The Modeler employs sensory data to construct the Concrete World Model, and the Controller utilizes the Modeler’s focal attention target models to control the body.
The Modeler is identified as the central creator of all conscious experiences. The Model Constructor is a part of the Modeler, which uses incoming sensory information to construct the World Model. “Schema” signifies a model of an object; hence, the Model Constructor Schema (MCschema) is a model of the Model Constructor. We demonstrate that the Model Constructor generates experiences and that the MCschema models these experiences.
This model describes and distinguishes between focal and diffuse attention. For instance, diffuse attention across the entire visual field creates diffuse peripheral visual awareness; thus, diffuse attention results in diffuse awareness. When focal attention is directed at a red rose, the result is the focal experience of the color red. Our model explains varied conscious experiences, such as the sensory perception of a rose’s red hue, the auditory sensation of a piano note, and internal experiences, such as the inner voice, visualizations, and emotions.
In addition to explaining these “sensory” qualia, our model uniquely addresses abstract cognitive experiences. For example, it differentiates between “understood” and “not understood” experiences for abstract focal targets, expanding the discussion beyond traditional sensory experiences to include the cognitive aspect of consciousness. This distinction offers a broader perspective on consciousness, emphasizing its role in sensory and abstract information processing.
We present an experiment that enables participants to experience diffuse awareness directly, demonstrating that information from the peripheral visual field—crucial for diffuse awareness—is inaccessible to the Controller. This experiment proves that diffuse awareness is exclusively a Modeler’s experience. Further, participants then direct peripheral visual focal attention (also known as covert attention) to targeted peripheral objects, demonstrating that the Controller can access and report information about these targets. We will convincingly argue that such peripheral visual focal experiences are exclusively within the Modeler’s domain. Thus, all focal experiences and diffuse awareness occur only in the Modeler.
Rigorous justifications will support our claim that the MCschema model encapsulates all conscious experiences, making it the comprehensive experience model. One argument will demonstrate that a semantic description of the Model Constructor’s mathematical functionality aligns with our descriptions and understanding of experiences.
This MCschema model addresses David Chalmers’s “hard problem” of consciousness by demonstrating how subjective experiences arise from the brain’s physical processes. The paper explores how the MCschema model responds to Chalmers’s proposed “how” and “why” questions and aligns with his principles. We aim to establish that the MCschema is a critical ingredient in a consciousness model. See www.frankheile.com