Philosopher David Chalmers introduced The Hard Problem of Consciousness in the 90s to distinguish between the relatively easy problems of consciousness that can be resolved via the standard methods of cognitive neuroscience (lol) and the comparatively “hard” problem of how matter could give rise to consciousness at all—which cannot, in principle, be resolved by science.

The hard problem is only a hard problem because of the standard metaphysical assumption of materialism. Since the 90s, many philosophers and scientists who have considered the hard problem have abandoned materialism in favour of panpsychism, dual-aspect monism, or other metaphysics that see consciousness as primary.

Nearly every spiritual tradition also sees consciousness as primary. Isn’t Self, not as ego, but as the Seer, the observer, the witness—consciousness by another name? Is science, through its own methods, coming around to this central spiritual insight?

In this episode I quote from The Hard Problem of Consciousness by David Chalmers, and Twilight of the idols, by Friedrich Nietzsche.

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