Philosophers to the Rescue
- Frank Matus
- Jan 10
- 1 min read
Excerpt from Chapter 1
Consciousness in Crisis
Enter the philosophers, those perennial ponderers of life’s great mysteries. They tackle the "hard problem" of consciousness, famously articulated by David Chalmers[1]. This conundrum asks why and how physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experiences.
Why does the firing of neurons result in the experience of tasting chocolate or feeling joy?
It's a question that makes even the most seasoned thinkers scratch their heads.
From Descartes’ ideas on dualism[2], which separates mind and body, to more modern theories like panpsychism, which explores consciousness from the viewpoint that it might be a fundamental feature of the universe, philosophers continue to debate and hypothesise. Their musings often feel like a blend of profound insight and delightfully outlandish semi-intellectual mental gymnastics.
This is further fuelled by more recent explorations into the world of psychedelics through the eyes of M.A.P.S (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies)[3] for a recent scientific perspective, rather than just the paradigm-shifting ideas of Terence McKenna, Timothy Leary or the other counter-culture idealisms.
The renewed exploration of compounds that until recently were demonised into near non-existence through draconian laws set to preserve our industrial-revolutionised problem-solving conscious mindsets continue to be spoken about at length in various books by author Graham Hancock[4] and social commentators such as Joe Rogan[5].
[1] Chalmers, D.J. (1995) Facing up to the problem of consciousness.
[2] Descartes, R. (1641) Meditations on First Philosophy.
[1] Baars, B.J. (1988) A Cognitive Theory of Consciousness.
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