Hard problem of consciousness
Author(s) -
Robert J. Howell,
Torin Alter
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
scholarpedia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1941-6016
DOI - 10.4249/scholarpedia.4948
Subject(s) - consciousness , psychology , cognitive science , neuroscience
As I type these words, cognitive systems in my brain engage in visual and auditory information processing. This processing is accompanied by subjective states of consciousness, such as the auditory experience of hearing the tap-tap-tap of the keyboard and the visual experience of seeing the letters appear on the screen. How does the brain’s activity generate such experiences? Why should it be accompanied by conscious experience in the first place? This is the hard problem of consciousness.
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