The classical mind-body problem remains a deep scientific mystery. Current and proposed theories of brain structure and function cannot explain basic facts of human vision. This review covers well-known mysteries such as the neural binding problem, blind sight, subjective experience, and prosthetics. Progress continues, but the core mysteries of the mind appear to require fundamental advances for any reductionist resolution.
Subjective experience presents mysteries that current neuroscience cannot fully explain. While computational models like integrated information theory (IIT) are criticized as misguided, progress comes from demystifying specific cases and considering evolutionary perspectives. The commentary broadens the discussion beyond abstract models to include these unresolved aspects of consciousness.
Subjective experience (consciousness) remains a scientific mystery because objective, third-person science cannot fully capture first-person, private experience. Evolutionary evidence suggests that subjective experience first appeared in vertebrates, and its neural substrate is largely preserved in mammals and humans. While the bodily aspects of perception and emotion are understood, the subjective component is not. Converging evidence from theoretical, experimental, and computational studies provides strong constraints and suggests future research directions. Despite limitations, progress has been made in understanding the role of subjective experience in the success of prostheses.
The mind/body problem—how subjective experience (qualia) relates to physical processes—remains unresolved despite scientific progress. This paper proposes elements for a rigorous science of mind: scientific realism about mental phenomena, agnostic mysterianism (acknowledging the problem may be beyond human comprehension), careful use of language, and concentration on concrete, touchstone questions. The central recommendation is to focus research on the still-mysterious mapping from neural activity to subjective experience.
Science, despite its achievements, faces fundamental limitations, including the intractable mind-body problem and other deep puzzles like quantum phenomena. These unsolved problems are either remote from everyday experience or difficult to define sharply.