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The Recurrent Causal-Process Theory of Consciousness: Minimal Causal Agency under Biological Constraints

by Hye-Eun (Selly) Yoon

Posted: February 24, 2026
Server: Zenodo
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18756163

Article Type: Theory

Accepted for poster presentation at ASSC 29 (2026, Santiago, Chile): “UBCAT: Minimal Causal Agency under Biological Constraints via Recurrent Sensory–Interoceptive Loop Closure."

Highlights

UBCAT defines consciousness as minimal causal agency under biological constraints

Two orthogonal axes: self-referential processing and environment-mediated intervention

Regulation precedes prediction: biological constraints as a universal organizing principle

Developmental Stress Test: proto-conscious stage as UBCAT falsification ground

Framework adjudicates boundary cases across species, development, and pathology

Working Summary

Consciousness is not a reportable mental state but a biologically implementable control regime: it begins when self-referential interoceptive integration closes an environment-mediated causal loop under homeostatic and metabolic constraints; this criterion dissolves the category errors in infant consciousness by separating environment-modulated regulation from environment-mediated agency.

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