METAPHYSICS
The assumptions about mind and reality sitting underneath every argument—usually pretending they are not there.
WHAT DOES IT ACTUALLY MEAN?
Metaphysics asks what kinds of things exist and what mind, matter, identity and experience fundamentally are. Different answers change what people consider possible evidence for consciousness.
WHY ARE WE TRACKING IT?
A materialist, panpsychist and idealist can inspect the same model behaviour and interpret it differently. The worldview helps explain the disagreement; it does not become empirical proof.
KEEP ONE EYEBROW UP.
The table may be conscious. The theory may be gorgeous. We are still checking the receipts.
RECEIPTS & REVISIONS.
Use this definition as the reading key for Model Watch. A capability claim only moves an AICNW assessment when the dated evidence meets the framework—not because a model said something dramatic on the internet.