Mind-Body

The Mind–Body Problem, Scientific Regress and "Woo"

The science of consciousness, far from converging on a sensible paradigm, is going backward

• By John Horgan on July 11, 2016

During a recent talk at “The Science of Consciousness” conference in Tucson, Arizona, John Horgan argued that science, far from progressing toward a sensible solution to the mind-body problem, is becoming more metaphysically flakey, or “woo.” The poster displayed on the screen celebrates the 2014 conference. Photo: David Chalmers.The deepest of all scientific mysteries, I once thought, is why there’s something rather than nothing. Now I think mind is the deepest mystery, because without mind, there might as well be nothing.I recently posted a four-part report on “The Science of Consciousness,” a conference in Tucson, Arizona, where hundreds of scientists and philosophers pondered the mind-body problem. As I mentioned in one of my dispatches, I gave a talk at the conference. Since I described it only sketchily, I’m presenting my major points here. First, my title and abstract:++++++++++++++++++++++++++Further Reading:

Meta-post: Horgan Posts on Brain and Mind Science
Dispatch from the Desert of Consciousness Research, Part 1
Dispatch from the Desert of Consciousness Research, Part 2
Dispatch from the Desert of Consciousness Research, Part 3
Dispatch from the Desert of Consciousness Research, Part 4
Flashback: My Report on First Consciousness Powwow in Tucson. How Far Has Science Come Since Then?Can Integrated Information Theory Explain Consciousness?Are Brains Bayesian?The Singularity and the Neural Code
Why information can't be the basis of reality
Is Scientific Materialism "Almost Certainly False"?Scott Aaronson Answers Every Ridiculously Big Question I Throw at Him
Christof Koch on Free Will, the Singularity and the Quest to Crack Consciousness
Skeptic Debunks Spoon-Bending and Fosters World Peace