The Alleged Hard Problem: A Pseudo Problem
M. Prost
March 28, 2017 DOI: 10.17265/2159-5313/2017.03.001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key points | Argues that the "hard problem" of consciousness is a pseudo problem grounded in logical and linguistic errors, that the conceivability of zombies is logically invalid within naturalism, and that questions about what it is like to feel something are trivial or linguistically impermissible, with the core confusion being a mix-up between non-reducibility and non-describability. |
Abstract
One of the most intriguing problems of philosophy is the question whether the human mind and human consciousness can be completely reduced to matter, namely to the brain. A special problem in this context is what has been called the “hard problem.” The hard problem denies that it is possible to reduce phenomenal experiences to brain states. The hard problem claims that it is impossible for materialists to explain what it is like to feel something. Here, we will prove that the hard problem is a pseudo problem that is based on errors in logic and language. One of the key arguments for the hard problem, the conceivability of zombies, is logically wrong within naturalism, which most philosophers acknowledge. Nevertheless, generally all questions of the type “What is it like to feel something?” are either trivial or linguistically impermissible. The core of the “hard problem” is the mix-up between non-reducibility and non-describability.
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