Résumé
What does it take to transform consciousness from a philosophical puzzle into a scientific theory? Few frameworks have shaped this quest as deeply as Stanislas Dehaene's Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT). By proposing that conscious access arises through large-scale broadcasting and ignition across fronto-parietal networks, GNWT provided both a conceptual framework and concrete, testable predictions
In this talk, I will reflect on GNWT's remarkable legacy and describe how we recently put its claims to a stringent test through an adversarial collaboration. Competing theories, including Integrated Information Theory, were brought into direct comparison by jointly formulating predictions, pre-registering analyses, and evaluating neural data across modalities such as neuroimaging and electrophysiology. Rather than fueling rivalry, this process fostered constructive confrontation and yielded new vistas about the mechanisms that support conscious experience. Complementary meta-analytic evidence also revealed just how strongly GNWT has shaped the field, influencing the kinds of questions scientists ask and the methods they use to answer them.
Looking ahead, I will argue that GNWT's true legacy lies not only in its mechanistic proposals, but in its collaborative ethos. To build a cumulative science of consciousness, we need bold theories, rigorous tests, and the courage to confront them together. My aim is to share what we have learned, to celebrate Stan's visionary role in this journey, and to invite the audience to imagine the next steps toward a theory of consciousness that is both rigorous and humane.
