The Principle of Graded Consciousness: A Balance–Feedback Framework for Understanding Life and Awareness

This paper proposes the Principle of Graded Consciousness, which states that all living systems possess varying degrees of consciousness determined by their capacity to process information and respond to feedback in maintaining dynamic balance. Drawing from biological concepts such as homeostasis and contemporary theories such as Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and Global Workspace Theory (GWT), this framework integrates scientific, philosophical, and systems-based perspectives grounded in the Universal Balance–Feedback Framework (Malicse, 2024). The paper argues that consciousness is not a binary property but a spectrum linked to adaptive regulation, functioning as a mechanism for error detection and correction within natural systems. Unlike IIT, which measures integrated information as the sole criterion, the present framework defines consciousness by a system's capacity to restore equilibrium—a broader and functionally distinct criterion. Examples from cellular life to human cognition illustrate a hierarchical structure of consciousness. The scope of this paper is explicitly functional; the phenomenal dimension of consciousness is acknowledged as a distinct problem requiring separate treatment.