The Elephant in the Mirror: Bridging the Brain's Explanatory Gap of Consciousness.
Front Syst Neurosci January 6, 2017 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2016.00108 (opens in new tab) via PubMed Central
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe paper addresses the persistent difficulty in explaining how subjective conscious experience arises from objective brain activity, often called the explanatory gap. It argues that this gap is not merely a scientific puzzle but a conceptual one rooted in the different frameworks used to describe first-person experience versus third-person neural data. The author proposes that bridging this gap requires a shift in perspective, treating consciousness as a fundamental feature of reality rather than an emergent property of complex computation. The argument draws on insights from philosophy of mind, neuroscience, and contemplative traditions to suggest that the gap may be more apparent than real when examined through an integrated, non-reductive lens.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Argues that the explanatory gap in consciousness research can only be bridged by integrating first-person phenomenological methods with third-person neuroscience, rather than reducing subjective experience to neural activity alone. |
Abstract
The Elephant in the Mirror: Bridging the Brain's Explanatory Gap of Consciousness.