Philosophy of Mind Seminar (Friday - Week 8, HT24)

The hard problem of consciousness really is hard, and what makes it so hard is accounting for the contents of experience: qualia. For example, when we peer in the brain, no matter how hard we try and with whatever methods we use, we can’t seem to find qualia. Yet when we observe the world, qualia are everywhere: colors, sounds, tastes, smells. Perhaps, then, we need to look outward. In order to overcome difficulties of previous theories, and make progress in understanding qualia, it will be suggested that the senses should be interpreted as physical detectors. In this talk I’ll explain how thinking about this problem like an experimental physicist just might help us in accounting for qualia in the natural world.