2017-07-19
23 分钟The Hard Problem of consciousness is the difficulty of reconciling experience with materialism. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast, in conversation with Nigel Warburton, Anil Seth, a neuroscientist, explains his alternative approach to consciousness,which he labels the 'Real Problem. Anil is a Wellcome Trust Engagement Fellow.
This is philosophy bites with me, Nigel.
Warburton and me, David Edmonds.
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There's probably no problem which exercises philosophers more than that of consciousness.
How can we explain it?
How can physical stuff, neurons, synapses, produce subjective experience?
Neuroscientists are making astonishing discoveries all the time about the brain.
But will they ever be able to tell us anything useful about consciousness?
Neuroscientist Anil Seth believes they will.
Anil Seth, welcome to flossy Bites.
It's a pleasure.
Thanks very much.
The topic we're going to focus on is the real problem of consciousness.
Just before we get onto that, could we begin by saying a little bit about how people have traditionally approached the problem or the problems of consciousness?
Probably almost all thinking and research on consciousness is traceable, at least back to Descartes.
And I think he set the terms for the modern debate entirely with his dualistic philosophy, dividing the world into two different kinds of stuff, into mind stuff.
Rez Khojitans, the stuff of thoughts, of beliefs, and of conscious experiences.
And Razak stanza, the stuff that tables and chairs and indeed brains and bodies are made out of material stuff.