#47 Josh Rasmussen - Why is Consciousness a Philosophical Problem?
Dec 9, 2023
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Josh Rasmussen, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Azusa Pacific University discusses the emergence and complexity of consciousness, the challenges of using science to explain it, the philosophical problem of consciousness and unity, the relationship between thoughts and mindless states, and the intricate nature of consciousness.
The hard problem of consciousness raises questions about the nature of consciousness and how it relates to the physical world.
The causal exclusion problem questions how mental aspects of consciousness can causally influence the physical world if reality is mindless.
The interaction problem explores the tension between subjective aspects of consciousness and the objective aspects of the body.
The epistemological challenge questions how we can have knowledge and justify our beliefs about consciousness.
The explanatory gap highlights the challenge of explaining how phenomenal consciousness arises from neural activity.
Deep dives
The Hard Problem of Consciousness
The hard problem of consciousness is the challenge of explaining how the subjective, experiential aspect of consciousness can arise from purely physical processes. It raises questions about the nature of consciousness and how it relates to the physical world.
Causal Exclusion
The causal exclusion problem explores the challenge of how the mental aspects of consciousness, such as intentions and thoughts, can causally influence the physical world if the foundational layer of reality is mindless. It questions how our mental experiences can make a difference in the world if everything is already determined by physical laws and processes.
Interaction Problem
The interaction problem addresses the difficulty of understanding how consciousness, as a non-physical entity, can interact with and affect the physical body and brain. It explores the tension between the subjective, qualitative aspects of consciousness and the objective, physical aspects of the body.
Epistemological Challenge
The epistemological challenge raises questions about how we can have knowledge and justify our beliefs about consciousness. It questions how we can know that our subjective experiences and qualia are accurately reflecting the external world and whether our introspective abilities are reliable.
Explanatory Gap
The explanatory gap refers to the difficulty of bridging the gap between our subjective experiences and the physical processes and mechanisms that underlie them. It highlights the challenge of explaining how phenomenal consciousness arises from neural activity and why certain patterns of brain activity give rise to specific conscious experiences.
Unity of Consciousness
The unity of consciousness problem explores the question of how our subjective experiences are unified into a coherent and continuous stream of consciousness. It challenges us to understand how disparate elements of consciousness, such as thoughts, sensations, and perceptions, are integrated into a unified whole.
Epistemic Gap
The epistemic gap refers to the challenge of understanding how subjective, first-person experiences can be objectively studied and understood. It questions the limitations of our methods and tools in capturing and analyzing the richness and subjectivity of conscious experience.
The Challenge of Mental Causation
The episode explores the challenge of mental causation and how it can be accounted for if the world is fundamentally mindless. It discusses the possible solutions to this challenge, including reducing consciousness to the material and viewing intentions as physical movements of atoms.
The Problem of Emergence
The podcast examines the problem of emergence, specifically the challenge of how something novel, such as consciousness, can arise from colorless or mindless elements. It discusses different concepts of emergence, including weak emergence and strong emergence, and explores the idea of incongruent emergence.
The Binding Problem and Unity of Consciousness
The episode delves into the binding problem and the challenge of how different elements within consciousness can be unified into a single conscious being. It highlights the importance of the self as the unifying factor and discusses the unity of perspective and being. The episode also explores the circularity problem in building a conscious being and examines other possible solutions to the binding problem.
