Erik Hoel

Erik Hoel is an American neuroscientist, author, and research assistant professor at Tufts University. Formally trained in Giulio Tononi’s laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Hoel specializes in causal emergence, information theory, and the theoretical foundations of consciousness.

In landmark papers in PNAS and Entropy, Hoel developed the mathematical framework of Causal Emergence. Using effective information measures, he demonstrated that coarse-grained macroscopic states can have greater causal power and less noise than their underlying microphysical elements, resolving fundamental paradoxes of reductionism. In The World Behind the World (2023) and his work on the “Overfitted Brain Hypothesis,” Hoel explores how dreams prevent cognitive overfitting.

Hoel’s formulation of the “Kleiner-Hoel Dilemma” in 2026 outlines the mathematical constraints governing continual learning, causal structure, and consciousness in large-scale artificial neural networks.

Known for. Formal theory of Causal Emergence (macro over micro causation), The Overfitted Brain Hypothesis of Dreams, The World Behind the World (2023), The Kleiner-Hoel Dilemma

Coverage on this site

• Erik Hoel Kleiner-Hoel Dilemma Continual Learning Consciousness LLM Disproof August 2026

Elsewhere

• Homepage
• Google Scholar

Every researcher covered on this site is indexed in the directory of consciousness researchers, grouped by the position their published work defends. The positions themselves are set out in the index of consciousness theories.