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Facing Up to the Problem of Consciousness

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Philosophy Hard ProblemExplanatory Gap

By David Chalmers

Summary

Distinguishes the "easy problems" (explaining cognitive functions) from the "Hard Problem" (explaining why there is subjective experience at all). Consciousness does not logically supervene on the physical — zombie worlds are conceivable. Argues for a non-reductive, naturalistic dualism.

Why It Matters

Coined the very phrase "the Hard Problem of consciousness" and defined the research programme for an entire generation of philosophers and neuroscientists.

Notes

This entry is a seed import from the Phase 1 Knowledge Inventory. It has not yet been manually reviewed.