Taking the Hard Problem of Consciousness Seriously

The proposed project deals with the so called "hard problem" of consciousness. The "hard problem" of consciousness is the problem of the subjective dimension of experience and its place in the natural order of things. I assume that naturalistic dualism is the most coherent and intuitively best candidate to deal with the mentioned problem. However, a logical consequence of this assumption is that panpsychism has to be accepted as a concept. After a general introduction to the mind-body problem the "easy problems" will be separated from the "hard problem" of consciousness and different views on this issue will be introduced. These views will be critically discussed and I am going to argue that all kinds of reductive theories about consciousness (materialism/physicalism, identity theory etc.) have severe shortcomings. In a further step the alternative non- reductive position of naturalistic dualism is presented and discussed. Naturalistic dualism accepts the objective reality of nature as well as consciousness as an irreducible and natural phenomenon. Physical properties and mental properties are likewise acknowledged as fundamental. I argue that this position is the most coherent and intuitively best candidate for a theory of consciousness. However, all assumptions and arguments of naturalistic dualism lead to one consequence: If we accept physical properties and mental properties as equally fundamental, then the question arises wether they are likewise ubiquitous. Naturalistic dualism therefore demands for panpsychism. In the final part of the project I will discuss the pros and cons of this theory and I will suggest panpsychism as a solution of the "hard problem" of consciousness. Nevertheless, the speculative metaphysical character of this theory will be critically reflected and scrutinized.

The project dealt with the so-called hard problem of consciousness and a possible approach to solving it: panpsychism. Panpsychism is the position that takes consciousness not only as a fundamental (i.e. irreducible) feature, but also as a universal feature of our world. The hard problem of consciousness indicates the impossibility of locating consciousness (qualitative experience) in a purely physical world. Panpsychism tries to give it such a location, in that it takes consciousness as the ubiquitous intrinsic nature of the material world as such. This makes Panpsychism an appealing position because the panpsychist has neither to give up the intuitively correct and rather apt assumptions of modest materialism, nor has she to give up consciousness as a fundamental feature of reality. In various publications I have tried to argue that the assumption that consciousness is a fundamental feature an assumption property dualists like David Chalmers also make does somehow entail the assumption of the ubiquity of consciousness as well. This seemed important to me for the purpose of bolstering panpsychism, a position worth advocating as a possible solution to the hard problem. In other publications I have tried to deal with some of the essential problems of Panpsychism such as the Combination Problem, in order to contribute to the ongoing discussion and to consolidate my position within the discourse. Summing up, it can be (very generally) said that, as regards content, I have focused on three key aspects in the execution of the overall project: (i) Defense of the coherence of the assumption that mental properties are widespread; (ii) Discussion and contribution of/to the essential problems of Panpsychism (e.g. the Combination Problem, counterintuitive impacts, the No-Sign Problem etc.) and (iii) Historic aspects of the discussion: philosophical precursors of Panpsychism (such as Schellings Philosophy of Nature and Leibnizs concept of monads) and their possible respective contributions to the current discussion. It is worth mentioning that, in the ongoing discussion on consciousness and its place in nature, the defense of Panpsychism as a relevant theory has hit a new peak since the start of the project: there have been lots of international conferences and workshops on this doctrine as well as a drive and intensity in the publication activities of the relevant philosophical community as well as from beyond.