The Hard Problem of Life Dissolved: A Similarity Theory Account
Simon Raphaël
PhilPapers (PhilPapers Foundation) July 13, 2026 DOI: 10.13140/rg.2.2.28251.53280 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key points | Argues that the hard problem of life arises from the materialist assumption that consciousness must emerge from matter, and proposes that Similarity Theory dissolves the problem by treating consciousness as ontologically primary, matter as a structured expression of consciousness, and biological life as an advanced form of conscious organisation. It reinterprets death as the dissolution of an organising unity and proposes that living identity is preserved through relational continuity across "Frames of Time." |
Abstract
This paper examines the so-called hard problem of life: how supposedly non-conscious matter could become a living, self-organising and experientially unified being. Similarity Theory argues that the problem arises from the materialist assumption that consciousness must emerge from matter. Within the Similarity Theory framework, consciousness is ontologically primary, matter is a structured expression of consciousness, and biological life is an advanced form of conscious organisation rather than the point at which consciousness first appears. The paper distinguishes elemental, organising and hosted consciousness, explores the relationship between biological order and thermodynamic law, and reinterprets death as the dissolution of a particular organising unity rather than the creation of unconscious matter. It further proposes that living identity is preserved through relational continuity across Frames of Time. By changing the metaphysical starting point, Similarity Theory does not attempt to explain how consciousness emerges from dead matter; it dissolves the problem by denying that matter was ever wholly non-conscious.
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