Summary
Thesis
In ''The Conscious Mind'' Chalmers argues that (1) the physical does not exhaust the actual, so materialism is false; (2) consciousness is a fundamental fact of nature; (3) science and philosophy should strive towards discovering a fundamental law of consciousness.Definitions
*psychological consciousness: publicly accessible descriptions of consciousness, such as its neurochemical correlates or role in influencing behaviour. *phenomenal consciousness: experience; something is phenomenologically conscious if it feels like something to be it. Every mental state can be described in psychological terms, phenomenological terms, or both.Further clarification
Psychological and phenomenal consciousness are often conflated. Thinkers may purport to have solved consciousness (in the phenomenological sense) when really all they have solved are certain aspects of psychological consciousness., p. xii, xiii To use Chalmers words: they claim to have solved the " hard problem of consciousness", when really all they have solved are certain "easy problems of consciousness". Chalmers believes that an adequate theory of consciousness can only come by solving both the hard and easy problems. On top of discovering brain states associated with conscious experience, science must also discover ''why and how'' certain brain states are accompanied by experience. This is what Chalmers attempts to do in ''The Conscious Mind''.Arguments against reductionism
The hard problem is hard, by Chalmers account, because conscious experience is irreducible to lower order physical facts. He supports this conclusion with three main lines of argument, which are summarised below. #Appeals to Conceivability: Chalmers argues that conscious experience can always be "abstracted away" from reductive explanations. This is evidenced by the conceivability and, by extension, logical possibility ofAgainst materialism
The only things that are irreducible to lower level facts are fundamental laws of nature (e.g., space and time). Since consciousness is irreducible, Chalmers believes that it, too, is fundamental. Chalmers accepts that people may be reluctant to accept this conclusion, but notes that people were initially reluctant to accept the fundamental nature ofConstraints
So, just as scientists of the past have sought fundamental laws of gravity and electromagnetism, so too should scientists of the present seek fundamental laws of consciousness. So, after providing the disclaimer that he is "most likely to be entirely wrong", Chalmers puts forward possible ways in which the search for a theory may be constrained: * Phenomenal Judgements: A theory of consciousness should be able to dispel_Speculation
Chalmers_explores_a_number_of_possibilities._Chalmers_believes_that___Speculation
Chalmers_explores_a_number_of_possibilities._Chalmers_believes_that___Speculation
Chalmers_explores_a_number_of_possibilities._Chalmers_believes_that__Speculation
Chalmers explores a number of possibilities. Chalmers believes that information will invariably play a central role in any theory of consciousness. However, Chalmers is unsure whether or not information will ultimately play a conceptual role or an Ontology">ontological one. Chalmers further constraints the role of information by concluding that it must only be phenomenally realised it is physically realised; in other words, the information system must be active (otherwise a computer that's turned off may qualia). So Causality">causation may also play a role. Interestingly, this account of consciousness has predictive power within the realm of Quantum mechanics">quantum theory. Namely, it addresses objections made by the physicist Roger Penrose regarding the Many-worlds interpretation, many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics:I do not see why a conscious being need be aware of only "one" of the alternatives in a linear superposition. What is it about consciousnesses that says that consciousness must not be "aware" of that tantalising linear combination of both a dead and a live cat? It seems to me that a theory of consciousness would be needed for one to square the many world view with what one actually observes.Chalmers' earlier account of consciousness is such a theory. This leaves the many-world view undoubtedly the most elegant of all interpretations of quantum mechanics (from a mathematical standpoint), albeit a counterintuitive one.
Reception
''The Conscious Mind'' has had significant influence on philosophy of mind and the scientific study of consciousness, as is evidenced by Chalmers easy/hard problem distinction having become standard terminology within relevant philosophical and scientific fields. Chalmers has expressed bewilderment at the book's success, writing that it has "received far more attention than I reasonably could have expected."Praise
David Lewis is a proponent of materialism whose views are criticised numerous times throughout ''The Conscious Mind''. Despite this, Lewis praises Chalmers for his understanding of the issue and for leaving his critics with "few points to make" that Chalmers "hasn't made already". Lewis has characterised ''The Conscious Mind'' as "exceptionally ambitious and exceptionally successful", considering it "the best book in philosophy of mind for many years." backcoverCriticism
Book reviews
''The Conscious Mind'' has been reviewed in journals such as ''See also
* Philosophy of Mind *Notes
References
Citations
Sources
* * * * * *Further reading