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Philosophy – University Taster
6.3 David Chalmers and the Problem of Consciousness
David John Chalmers (b. 1966) is a contemporary Australian philosopher and cognitive scientist who specialises in Philosophy of MindA branch of Philosophy that seeks to understand the nature of the mind and the nature of consciousness. and Philosophy of Language. Chalmers is a Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science at New York University and co-director of NYU's Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness.
What is Consciousness?
The first and perhaps most obvious question to ask is: What is consciousness? Consciousness, some people argue, is our subjective experience of the world: —what it is like to enjoy looking at a sunset, feel pain, or taste chocolate. This may sound simple, but Chalmers argues that there is a deeper mystery to consciousness. He calls this mystery the “easy” and “hard” problems of consciousness, where the other questions that can be asked are: how do we have consciousness and why do we have consciousness?
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