Papers

Thesis: David Chalmers’ ‘Hard Problem’ of Consciousness: A Critique

Synopsis: David Chalmers and Frank Jackson’s  arguments in favour of a ‘hard problem’ of consciousness are critiqued at multiple steps. In particular, they argue that there is logical entailment from micro-physical to macro-physical phenomena, and that this logical entailment is the basis of reductive explanation in that case. They further argue that there isn’t logical entailment from micro-physical to experiential phenomena, however, and so therefore there is a hard problem with regards to explaining experiential phenomena in terms of micro-physical phenomena. I give reasons to believe that there is no logical entailment from micro-physical to macro-physical phenomena, and therefore that logical entailment is not a good basis for reductive explanation, and so therefore their arguments for a hard problem do not carry through.