Consciousness as a Subsystem
8 April 2026
An essay arguing that consciousness is a limited subsystem of the brain. Several instinctive ways of thinking about consciousness are wrong.
Welcome
I write about the big picture: what the world is like, what matters, and what we should do.
At the centre of the project is the question of what to do. I explore this by treating morality as part of practical thinking, and by developing a form of utilitarianism centred on conscious experience, within a naturalistic view of the world.
Start Here
If you are new to the site, these essays introduce the main lines of thought:
The Architecture of Utilitarianism
Philosophy and the Big Picture
These move from questions of practical reason and morality, through value and consciousness, to a naturalistic outlook and a comprehensive worldview.
This Site
See About for my biography and Blog for my most recent posts. The Blog has a mixture of my own writings and my notes on some favourite books.
There are separate pages with summaries of some of my Key Ideas – on Practical Reason, Utilitarianism and Effective Altruism.
There are further pages with lists of My Writing, lists of my Book Notes, lists of my favourite Podcasts and with assorted useful Links.
My aim with the website is to set out my ideas and to share books and resources that I recommend.