The Conversion Theory
Karl Johannes Lierfeld
Philosophie – Aufklärung – Kritik July 21, 2026 DOI: 10.14361/9783839478394 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that qualia emerge from irreversible neural processing, creating an epistemic firewall that prevents objective access to subjective experience, and proposes "conversionism" as a physicalist framework to explain the structural limits of the hard problem. |
Abstract
Qualia – the vivid hues of subjective experience – emerge from an irreversible neural alchemy. Objective sensory data streams into the brain, where amygdala and hippocampus forge it into private phenomenology through profound process dualism. Brain-computer interfaces capture upstream signals with stunning precision yet hit an »epistemic firewall«: the downstream qualia remain sealed, their essence lost in conversion. Karl Johannes Lierfeld analyzes this physicalist extension that reveals why sentience defies objectification, bridging philosophy of mind and neuroscience without metaphysical escape hatches. Conversionism charts the hard problem’s structural limits.