The Impossibly Hard Problem of Consciousness: Showing the hard problem of consciousness cannot be solved, and the way forward

Abstract

I show the sort of solution currently commonly imagined as fitting the hard problem of consciousness is impossible to reach. The category mistake implicit in the problem can be dealt with, but the reformulated version will still never reach complete predictive ability and intuitiveness. Applications of this proof of impossibility and attempts by others to solve the hard problem are discussed. An overarching phenomenological-cognitive framework is proposed, partially to show the possibilities which are still open for those interested in discovering ‘consciousness-processes’.

Author's Profile

Jorrit Jan Walinga
Utrecht University

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Added to PP
2023-01-30

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