A continuum of consciousness
There is a need for an overarching theory of consciousness in both science and philosophy. To build one, members of the CRB neuroethics and philosophy team suggest we should look at the brain as something more than an input-output machine. Instead, they propose focusing on its intrinsic activity.
Michele Farisco (Link removed) and Kathinka Evers (Link removed) from the Centre for Research Ethics & Bioethics (CRB) view consciousness as a continuum. They propose a theory based on intrinsic consciousness and offer a different theoretical framework: looking at the brain as a form of "unified reality" with different levels of conscious activity.
Read more about intrinsic consiousness in recent publications, and an inteview with Kathinka Evers on the Human Brain Project website.
Farisco M, Evers K, The ethical relevance of the unconscious, Philosophy. Ethics and Humanities in Medicine, 2017;12(11).
Farisco M, Laureys S, Evers K,The Intrinsic Activity of the Brain and Its Relation to Levels and Disorders of Consciousness, Mind & Matter, 2017;15(2):197-219.