The Real Problem: Explaining Properties of Consciousness

The real problem lies in elucidating, predicting, and potentially managing the properties of consciousness by linking them to the mechanisms in the brain and body. These properties are mainly experiential or phenomenological in nature, focusing on how conscious experiences manifest rather than their functions in cognitive brain architecture. Understanding why visual experiences differ from emotional experiences, such as spatial characteristics versus valence, presents a significant challenge in connecting brain mechanisms to phenomenological properties. The distinction from the hard problem of consciousness, as proposed by David Chalmers, emphasizes the mystery of how matter in a specific arrangement leads to conscious experiences, raising questions about why physical processes result in a complex inner life despite lacking a substantial explanation.