Introspection and the Limits of Physicalism in Consciousness Studies: Toward an Analytic Idealist Framework
Muhammad Javid, Muhammad Jawwad
Contemporary Issues in Social Sciences and Management Practices March 31, 2026 DOI: 10.61503/cissmp.v5i1.399 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Physicalism Introspection Metaphysics Existentialism Phenomenology philosophy Qualia Meaning existential Epistemology Materialism Empiricism Argument complex analysis Artificial consciousness Cognitive science |
| Key points | Argues that consciousness is ontologically primary and that the field can best advance through a dual approach of empirical research combined with first-person introspective inquiry and a metaphysics positioning consciousness as fundamental. |
Abstract
Consciousness represents one of the greatest philosophical and cognitive scientific problems to date. Contemporary neuroscience and artificial intelligence have been immensely successful in describing neural mechanisms and behavior, yet the subjective, qualitative essence of conscious experience remains difficult to explain within either discipline. It is argued here that functionalist and physicalist approaches are fundamentally flawed because they are largely based on third-person methodologies and fail to accommodate the first-person nature of consciousness. Phenomenological introspection is utilized to examine aspects of conscious experience such as intentionality, temporality, self-consciousness and the human quest for meaning. It then looks at the dimension of consciousness' existential meaning as analyzed in phenomenology and existential philosophy. It is further argued that the human search for meaning is a constitutive aspect of consciousness, rather than an accidental evolutionary byproduct. The present inquiry provides a framework for addressing these questions via the metaphysical approach of Analytic Idealism. The metaphysical argument offered is that consciousness is ontologically primary and the external world represents the appearance of these internal processes. In conclusion, the study contends that the field of consciousness studies can best be advanced through a dual approach of empirical research combined with first-person introspective inquiry, as well as a metaphysics which positions consciousness as fundamental
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| How do the brain's time and space mediate consciousness and its different dimensions? Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC). | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The phenomenology of deep brain stimulation-induced changes in OCD: an enactive affordance-based model. | 2013 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |