Cited by 47Philosophy and Theoretical ScienceNeural dynamics and brain functionComplex Systems and Dynamics

The Mathematical Structure of Integrated Information Theory

Open access
Kleiner, Johannes, Tull, Sean·2021·Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics

Abstract

Integrated Information Theory is one of the leading models of consciousness. It aims to describe both the quality and quantity of the conscious experience of a physical system, such as the brain, in a particular state. In this contribution, we propound the mathematical structure of the theory, separating the essentials from auxiliary formal tools. We provide a definition of a generalized IIT which has IIT 3.0 of Tononi et al., as well as the Quantum IIT introduced by Zanardi et al. as special cases. This provides an axiomatic definition of the theory which may serve as the starting point for future formal investigations and as an introduction suitable for researchers with a formal background.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.3389/fams.2020.602973

Cites

47 of 47 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • This is seldom the case for engineered systems, for which simplicity and modularity are favored.

    “This is seldom the case for engineered systems, for which simplicity and modularity are favored [109].”

    From Dissociating Artificial Intelligence from Artificial Consciousness (2024) · cites this paper as [109]

    Sections 5 (Integration) and 9.1 (Systems) describe integrated information and the components of physical systems, but do not compare engineered systems with other systems or discuss engineering preferences. Searches for engineered systems, modularity, and simplicity found no passage supporting the claim that simplicity and modularity are favored in their design. (LLM, conf=0.74)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

2 of the 49 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. Halmos PR. Measure Theory Berlin: Springer (1974).
  2. Hardy. L. Proposal to Use Humans to Switch Settings in a Bell Experiment (2017). arXiv preprint arXiv:1705.04620. · arXiv
  3. Pedro R. Proceedings of the Workshop on Combining Viewpoints in Quantum Theory, 19-22. Edinburgh, UK: ICMS (2018).
  4. Tononi G. Consciousness as Integrated Information: a Provisional Manifesto. Biol Bull (2008). 215(3):216-42. doi:10.2307/25470707 · DOI · Paper page

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Kleiner, J., & Tull, S.
Affiliations
  • Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE)
  • Cambridge Quantum Computing (United Kingdom) (GB)
Corresponding author
  • Kleiner, Johannes
  • Tull, Sean
Venue
Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics
Published
2021-06-04
Volume
6
ISSN
2297-4687 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3005695434
Cited by
46
References
49
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 5
FWCI
7.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Frontiers in Applied Mathematics and Statistics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Open access LMU (Ludwid Maxmilian's Universitat Munchen) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • arXiv (Cornell University)
Funders
  • University of Cambridge
  • University of Oxford
  • Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
  • Leibniz-Gemeinschaft
  • Division of Mathematical Sciences
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Philosophy and Theoretical Science
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Statistical and Nonlinear Physics › Complex Systems and Dynamics
Keywords
integrated information theory, consciousness, axiomatic definition, mathematical structures, subjective experience, brain states, information integration

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review