Figure 1.

(a) Conceptually, NRB (such as “responding after a delay, or executing an action based on internally generated plans,” Kanai et al. 2019, 3) seems to require information generation. That is, if a system displays NRB, it is capable of information generation. Empirically, NRB seems to require consciousness (at least in human beings). That is, if a system displays NRB, it is conscious. These observations are compatible with the possibility of consciousness without information generation, and with the possibility of information generation without the capacity for NRB. However, as pointed out in the main text, there is reason to believe that information generation is necessary for consciousness. Furthermore, depending on how NRB is defined, it may not require consciousness. See (b) for an illustration. (b) An empirically informed, conservative view on the relationships between consciousness, NRB, and information generation: information generation is necessary for consciousness and NRB, but is not sufficient for either of them. That is, all conscious systems have the ability for information generation, and NRB without information generation is impossible. However, not all systems that generate information are conscious, and there may be forms of NRB that do not require consciousness. (Note that the main point of this figure is to illustrate the relationship between consciousness and information generation, as suggested by the treatment in the main text: information generation is necessary, but not sufficient for consciousness. The relationship between NRB and consciousness/information generation is only of peripheral importance. The main reason for this is that it largely is a terminological issue, i.e. it depends on how NRB is defined. Furthermore, it may be impossible to draw a sharp boundary between reflexive and non-reflexive behavior.)