Mind and Consciousness: Bridging Philosophy and Cognitive Science

No single discipline—analytic metaphysics, phenomenology, neuroscience, or computational modeling—can alone provide a rich enough explanation of conscious experience. A multi-level framework is needed in which metaphysical positions, empirical theories of neural and cognitive architecture, and first-person phenomenological analyses mutually inform one another. The book examines debates on dualism, physicalism, functionalism, and phenomenology, then reviews models of neural correlates of consciousness and predictive processing. It covers representation, qualia, the hard problem, selfhood, embodiment, and agency, and extends to artificial and non-human consciousness, cross-cultural contemplative traditions, and ethical and legal implications of mind technologies.

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Abstract

Abstract: This book offers an integrated account of mind and consciousness at the intersection of contemporary philosophy and cognitive science. It argues that no single discipline—whether analytic metaphysics, phenomenology, neuroscience, or computational modelling—can, in isolation, provide a sufficiently rich explanation of conscious experience. Instead, the chapters develop a multi-level framework in which metaphysical positions on the nature of mind, empirical theories of neural and cognitive architecture, and first-person phenomenological analyses mutually constrain and inform one another. The first chapters reconstruct the conceptual and historical landscape of debates on dualism, physicalism, functionalism, and phenomenology, before examining contemporary models of the “neural correlates of consciousness” and predictive processing. Subsequent chapters focus on representation, qualia, and the “hard problem”, alongside theories of selfhood, embodiment, and agency. The final chapter extends the discussion to artificial and non-human consciousness, cross-cultural contemplative traditions, and the ethical and legal implications of emerging mind technologies. Throughout, the book emphasises theoretical clarity, methodological pluralism, and practical relevance. It shows how refined conceptual tools can sharpen experimental design, how empirical results reshape longstanding philosophical questions, and how a better understanding of consciousness bears on global challenges in mental health, technology governance, and social cohesion. Keywords: consciousness, mind, phenomenology, cognitive science, neural correlates, predictive processing, self and agency, artificial consciousness, embodiment, philosophy of mind