Hoel’s Causal Emergence

Neuroscientist/philosopher Erik Hoel’s theory of consciousness centers on ‘causal emergence,’ the idea that macroscopic structures in the brain can have stronger or clearer causal power than their microscopic components, and that consciousness arises where macro-level causal structure is maximized. This suggests that consciousness arises not from atomic-scale or neuronal-level details, but from structures that optimize effective information, which often occur at larger, higher, or abstract levels—like stories, minds, societies—that can possess real causal power. This means that the conscious mind is not reducible to neurons or atoms, but instead exists at the level where the brain has maximal control over its own future. “Consciousness,” Hoel states bluntly, “is what it’s like for information to be causally emergent” (Hoel, 2017, 2023).

Causal Emergence and Consciousness

Hoel bases his theory on information. He says that “recent research applying information theory to causal analysis has shown that the causal structure of some systems can actually come into focus and be more informative at a macroscale. That is, a macroscale description of a system (a map) can be more informative than a fully detailed microscale description of the system (the territory). This has been called ‘causal emergence’” (Hoel, 2017).

While causal emergence may at first seem counterintuitive, Hoel argues that, based on classic information theory (i.e., Shannon’s discovery of the channel capacity), “systems have a particular causal capacity, and that different descriptions of those systems take advantage of that capacity to various degrees. For some systems, only macroscale descriptions use the full causal capacity… The causal capacity of a system can approach the channel capacity as more and different kinds of macroscales are considered. Ultimately, this provides a general framework for understanding how the causal structure of some systems cannot be fully captured by even the most detailed microscale description” (Hoel, 2017).

Thus, Hoel’s consciousness is not found in the minuscule physical details of the brain, not at the level of neurons and synapses, but rather in higher-level causal structures—those that maximize ‘effective information.’ He explicitly links consciousness to the causal emergence framework, suggesting that consciousness is what it feels like for a macro system to realize its own causal efficacy. “In a conscious system, the level at which causal emergence peaks is the level at which experience resides” (Hoel, 2017).

Narrative Mind and Higher-Level Meaning

Hoel proposes that consciousness is structured like a story—with sequential, causally coherent elements. He calls this “the narrative mind.” He says, “Your consciousness is not just awareness. It is narrative awareness. Stories are not epiphenomenal; they are the scaffolding of your very being” (Hoel, 2023).

In this context, Hoel’s critique of reductive materialism goes beyond the usual philosophical zombies and mysterious qualia, how states of the mind can possibly emerge from states of the brain. Hoel calls upon higher-order abstractions, including stories and myths, which are not illusions, he says, but real high-level phenomena with causal impact. The brain does not just think in narrative; narrative may be what enables high-level conscious integration. He says, “If we continue to act like the world behind the world doesn’t exist—those emergent layers of minds, of narratives, of meaning—we may forever fail to solve consciousness” (Hoel, 2023).

It is instructive to compare Hoel’s causal emergence theory of consciousness with Integrated Information Theory (IIT), created by Giulio Tononi (under whom Hoel received his PhD in neuroscience). While Hoel defends IIT and has been influenced by it (especially with respect to information), Hoel’s model emphasizes causal structure and macro-level emergence rather than integration or Φ as does IIT.

In sum, Hoel has his causal emergence theory as the philosophical foundation for not only consciousness, but also for free will and meaning. He claims to solve the hard problem of consciousness, which is not, he says, a byproduct of physicalism, but the peak of a causal pyramid, where emergent structures like narratives, identities, and cultures play foundational roles. The “world behind the world”—the title of his book—is the place where these higher-order patterns reside, and recognizing their causal efficacy is key to understanding both consciousness and reality itself (Hoel, 2023).