Consciousness as a Misleading Construct: Toward a Process-Based Account of Mind

This paper argues that the concept of consciousness does not correspond to a unified or distinct phenomenon, but rather functions as a linguistic construct that compresses multiple separable neurocognitive processes under a single term. Instead of treating consciousness as a single entity, the paper proposes a process-based account in which predictive modeling, attention, valuation, memory integration, and interoceptive regulation interact to produce the functional patterns commonly attributed to conscious experience. Drawing on predictive processing and contemporary neuroscience, this framework challenges the assumption of consciousness as a natural kind and reframes long-standing problems such as the explanatory gap. By shifting the focus from static categories to dynamic processes, it offers a more precise and empirically grounded approach to the study of mind.