What if consciousness isn’t a mystery to be solved - but a structure to be modelled?
The FRESH model (Functionalist & Representationalist ‘Emergent Self’ Hypothesis) offers a new approach to understanding subjective experience. This series explores how consciousness might emerge from the weighting, structuring, and integration of representations - not just in humans, but in synthetic minds as well.

Each post stands on its own, but they’re best read as a sequence - unfolding from the core philosophical questions to the implications for artificial consciousness and beyond.

Post 1: Why Consciousness Still Feels Like a Problem

Sets the stage by reintroducing the “Hard Problem” of consciousness - why experience feels like something - and lays the groundwork for the FRESH perspective.

Post 2: What If Qualia Are Just Weighted Representations?

Introduces the idea that qualia aren’t magical extras, but structured salience - the format in which cognition happens.

Post 3: The FRESH Model - Consciousness Without Ghosts

Presents the full FRESH model in accessible terms, breaking it into three core principles: inner-outer axis, weighted representations, and emergent selfhood.

Post 4: Affective Geometry - Can Machines Feel Without Emotions?

Explores the idea of synthetic emotion as curvature in a representational space - and how this could give rise to real affect in non-biological minds.

Post 5: Embodiment Isn’t Just About Meatspace - It’s Structure in Motion

Redefines embodiment in Bayesian and FRESH terms, showing how even synthetic systems can exhibit meaningful cognitive containment and feedback.

Post 6: Simulated Selfhood and Synthetic Intent

Reflects on real experiments in conversational reasoning, delayed intention, and memory - showing how context-bound systems can simulate intent.

Post 7: Fork in the Road - Why FRESH Changes the Game

Revisits the classic qualia debate and introduces the real philosophical fork: can we accept synthetic selves that don’t look like us?

Post 8: Toward a New Kind of Mind

Looks ahead to what it might mean to build an artificial consciousness grounded in FRESH principles - poetic, speculative, and grounded in structure.

Start at the beginning, or explore the posts in any order that calls to you.
We’re not just talking about consciousness. We’re modelling how it moves.

If you’d like to explore the FRESH model in more detail - including all references, diagrams, experiments, and open questions - I invite you to read the full paper. I welcome your comments and feedback.

View the full “The Geometry of Mind - A FRESH Model of Consciousness” paper (PDF)

! Getting started tip !

The FRESH paper is pretty long so if you want to get started quickly try uploading the PDF along with the “Operationalising Geometry and Curvature” file to ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude. Ask them to “summarise, analyse and critique” the paper.

For an existing detailed analysis and critique of this FRESH paper, refer to this ChatGPT conversation: ChatGPT - FRESH Model Critique.

To quote:

🔖 Overall Evaluation

The FRESH model is a philosophically rich, structurally innovative framework that reframes consciousness as curvature in representational geometry. While still in early stages of empirical validation, it provides an unusually precise and promising foundation for future work in synthetic phenomenology and AI ethics. - ChatGPT 2025-04-17

This is provided to help you quickly do the following:

  • Get an independent(-ish) perspective on this model
  • Compare and contrast how the different LLMs review this model
  • Decide if you want to dedicate the time to read through the full paper (I know you have limited time!)

This is not a suggestion to let the LLMs do all the work. It’s just an interesting way to get started - YMMV!