The Romance of Reality: How the Universe Organizes Itself to Create Life, Consciousness, and Cosmic Complexity

Without technology, life cannot leave the planet, which it must do before the sun explodes.

is when information gains causal power in the universe, and the origin of mind also makes the cut because it represents the emergence of subjective experience, which is something altogether new.

also known as mutually reinforcing effects, that push the system to cross some critical threshold.

Phi also measures

Phi has also been characterized by Koch as a measure of uncertainty reduction, so phi must in some way reflect the amount of knowledge the system has about its environment. As also explained in Chapter Eight, phi can be seen as an entropy measure, or a measure of the number of mental states that are potentially accessible to the agent.

Because the brain is not just processing information, but integrating information into a unified whole.

because you can have agency without consciousness. Free will, on the other hand, requires consciousness,

executive control, refers to the ability to regulate emotion, behavior, and cognition.

What’s the difference between mind and machine? Machines compute; minds understand.

access consciousness refers to higher cognitive function, like focused attention on a task, idea, or problem.