Philosophy For Our Times A landscape of consciousness | Robert Lawrence Kuhn and Hilary Lawson
Sep 2, 2025
Robert Lawrence Kuhn, co-creator and executive producer of 'Closer To Truth', joins post-realist philosopher Hilary Lawson to tackle the enigma of consciousness. They explore over 200 theories, from dualism to materialism, revealing the rich tapestry of thought that surrounds this elusive topic. The conversation dives into personal journeys and the intersection of consciousness with quantum physics. They highlight the enduring mystery of how subjective experiences connect with neural processes, challenging our understanding of mind and matter.
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A Lifelong Project To Map Views
- Kuhn's lifelong curiosity drove him to interview experts across disciplines to map the landscape of consciousness.
- He intentionally included philosophical and religious accounts to capture humanity's full responses.
The Core Hard Problem
- The core hard problem is how subjective mentality fits into the same category as physical processes.
- Correlations exist but don't explain why neural events produce what it feels like to have an experience.
Vast Order‑Of‑Magnitude Divide
- Theories differ by many orders of magnitude on where consciousness arises, from quantum events to whole-brain patterns.
- This vast scale range makes it hard to converge on a single explanatory mechanism.