ajf:
What is the Free Energy Theory of Consciousness?
gpt:
The Free Energy Theory of Consciousness — more precisely, the Free Energy Principle (FEP) — was developed by neuroscientist Karl Friston (b. 1959, University College London). It’s a mathematically defined framework that explains how biological systems function — consciousness included.
In short: a brain (or any self-organizing system) constantly tries to minimize the difference between its expectations and the actual sensory inputs it receives. Friston calls this difference “free energy.”
The system does two things to reduce that energy: