Moll’s Multitrack Consciousness Conjecture

Neuroscientist Jorge Moll proposes a Multitrack Consciousness Conjecture (MCC) that suggests a new structure for consciousness in time, aiming to resolve the paradox of our subjective experience of a privileged now that seems fundamentally at odds with the physical model of block time (also known as the block universe) (Moll, 2024). As Moll puts it, “Consciousness experience remains one of the deepest enigmas in science and philosophy, especially when considered against the backdrop of spacetime physics, which treats subjective time as an illusion (Carroll, 2010).”

The block universe framework, rooted in Einstein’s relativity, posits a four-dimensional spacetime where all moments—past, present, and future—are equally real within the structure of spacetime (Einstein, 1916). Yet, we as conscious beings experience time as flowing, with a specific privileged now moment that moves inexorably towards the future. This apparent contradiction raises a profound question: if we live in a block time universe, why do we experience the specific present moment as now rather than any other moment?

The Multitrack Consciousness Conjecture

Moll develops what he calls “a simple logical framework” to address this paradox, starting from two foundational postulates. First, the block universe model suggests that all moments are equally real, embedded in a four-dimensional spacetime (or its variant called the growing block) without any intrinsic flow of time or physically privileged now moments (Davies, 2023). Second, the conscious experience (qualia) of the present moment is real and phenomenologically undeniable (Chalmers, 1996). These postulates generate the privileged now paradox: If all moments have the same ontological status, why do we experience one singular now, rather than many or none?

To unravel this logical contradiction, the multitrack conjecture proposes that multiple versions of our conscious selves are instantiated across different spacetime locations, each capable of experiencing only a single now. These distinct tracks of consciousness offer a solution to the privileged now paradox by positing that our subjective perception of the now moment arises from our lack of access to other moment-bound tracks, which are experienced by other temporally localized instances of ourselves. This is akin to multiple record needles playing different tracks of the same vinyl record, with each one experiencing only its current track.

Unlike the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, which involves branching realities encompassing alternate versions of reality, the basic version of the multitrack conjecture operates within a single worldline. It frames the experience of the self as a multiplicity of localizations within a fixed spacetime structure. Still, the multitrack conjecture may equally resolve the privileged now paradox in the context of branching time interpretations of quantum mechanics (Carroll, 2010).

Implications for Identity, Memory, and Emotion

According to Moll, this multiplicity of identical selves invites a rethinking of self-identity. Each track represents a unique instantiation of the conscious self, tied to a specific now moment, while the overarching self is a composite of these temporally distributed experiences. From a “God’s view” block time perspective, our experiences, encapsulated as memories and emotions, are integrated across all tracks, forming a complex living web of interrelated conscious states in spacetime. The MCC also has implications for shared experiences. Within this framework, interactions between individuals—and essentially any elements of reality—could give rise to interwoven informational structures across spacetime. Speculatively, such information meshes could imply continuities of personal and collective identities emerging as shared conscious information embedded in the block universe.

Compatibility with Theories of Consciousness

Moll argues that the MCC is inherently compatible with a range of theories of consciousness (Kuhn, 2024). Materialists might interpret the conjecture as an emergent property of complex neural information embedded in spacetime (Seth & Bayne, 2022). Dualists could see the multiple tracks as another “substance” (conscious information), while the idealist or panpsychist might consider the tracks as manifestations of an underlying universal consciousness. Hypothetically, certain controversial anomalous cognitive phenomena—such as déjà vu, altered states of consciousness, or psi-like experiences—could emerge from occasional interference across tracks. Crucially, the MCC does not depend on any of these metaphysical stances. Instead, it offers a framework that bridges diverse theoretical commitments.

While not designed to solve the hard problem of consciousness supervenience (Chalmers, 1996), the MCC addresses another hard problem, the privileged now paradox in block time. Could solving the latter hard problem suggest new ways to approach the former hard problem? For example, could the MCC metaphor of tracks and informational embeddings across spacetime imply that consciousness may be patterned or encoded in information-rich structures?

Reflections

The strength of the multitrack consciousness conjecture lies in its logical coherence and explanatory power. By isolating the subjective now to multiple conscious tracks, it resolves the privileged now paradox while maintaining fidelity to the block universe’s structure and the reality of subjective conscious experience. The conjecture thus opens a path for reconciling our lived temporal experience with a timeless physical reality—and invites further inquiry into the ontology of consciousness within spacetime.