What's the problem, anyway?
The problem of consciousness is the ancient mind-body problem, what--100 years ago--was called the fathomless abyss, brought up to date by modern neuroscience. Simply stated:
How does subjective experience arise from the objective activity of neurons in the brain?
Subjective experience = What's it like being me, right now?
Objective activity = something physical and measurable, e.g. change in electrical potential in the brain
This is what David Chalmers called The Hard Problem.
It's a scientific mystery, where...
Mystery = a problem that we haven't a clue how to approach.
The mystery of consciousness is unique in science.
How does subjective experience arise from the objective activity of neurons in the brain?
Subjective experience = What's it like being me, right now?
Objective activity = something physical and measurable, e.g. change in electrical potential in the brain
This is what David Chalmers called The Hard Problem.
It's a scientific mystery, where...
Mystery = a problem that we haven't a clue how to approach.
The mystery of consciousness is unique in science.
posted by barryevans at
9:57 AM
3 Comments:
Hi Barry. I'm thinking about starting a blog on subjective experience, and first I'm checking out the blog out there on this topic. I've found that Daniel Dennett's philosophy regarding consciousness very helpful in imagining how my own subjective experience is produced by the brain-in-the-environment system, and how to speculate about the adaptive function of subjective experience, along with how language and especially the clever trick of writing has enabled reflection to assist in going beyond adaptation in evolving free will. I have an essay on my web page (about the worth of living a life). I use the term smaller for my subjective experience system, and larger for the brain-in-the-environment system--both dynamic systems with ever shifting boundaries. I am particularly interested in smaller-larger relating, keeping in mind the smaller is always part of the larger and much illusion is involved.
Well, I wish you well in your blog and that you get many comments. We so often give parties and no one shows up.
By
Anonymous, at April 16, 2006
hi Tom
thanks so much for your note. what's your web page, so i can read your essay?
about giving the party, no one showing up--story of my life! i can't understand why everyone isn't spending 24 hours a day pondering what it means to be alive, the whole insane mystery of it all, and being conscious of it to boot!
but i love thinking, reading, writing about it, so i'd probably continue whether or not i got comments! and still, when i do get them, like yours, they're much appreciated.
cheers, barry
By
barryevans, at April 20, 2006
Great site loved it alot, will come back and visit again.
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By
Anonymous, at August 10, 2006
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