Two Obstacles on the Way towards the Science of Consciousness
Jianfeng Li
NeuroQuantology September 19, 2017 DOI: 10.14704/nq.2017.15.4.1104 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that a science of consciousness is blocked by two obstacles: the tension between the hard problem of consciousness and the limits of physics, and the combination problem for panpsychism. Proposes several methods for removing both, contending that clearing the second would clarify which systems can be conscious and how to make a conscious machine. |
Abstract
The paper discusses two obstacles standing on the way towards the science of consciousness and several possible ways of removing them. The first obstacle reflects the tension between the hard problem of consciousness and limitation of physics, which prevents us from directly talking about conscious experiences in theory. The second obstacle is related with combination problem presented by panpsychism and removing this obstacle will help us figure out what kind of system can be conscious and how to make a conscious machine. It is impossible to move on towards the science of consciousness before these two obstacles have been thoroughly removed. In this paper, I propose several methods to clear these two obstacles.