Nonreductive Explanation
Overview
- Context: Section 5 of "The Hard Problem of Consciousness" in "The Norton Introduction to Philosophy" by David Chalmers (2018).
- Main Idea: Rather than giving up on explaining conscious experience, Chalmers proposes a nonreductive explanation, suggesting that experience may be a fundamental aspect of the universe.
Key Concepts
Reductive vs Nonreductive Explanation
- Reductive Explanation: Attempts to explain phenomena entirely in terms of simpler entities.
- Nonreductive Explanation: Accepts some phenomena as fundamental, not explainable by simpler entities.
- Example: Electromagnetism required new fundamental components (e.g., charge, forces) beyond mechanical processes.
Fundamental Entities in Physics
- Some entities in physics like mass, space-time are taken as fundamental.
- They are not explained by simpler terms but are related to other phenomena through basic principles and laws.
Theory of Consciousness
- Suggests taking experience as fundamental, similar to mass or charge.
- This approach necessitates adding new features to our ontology since current physical theories do not account for consciousness.
- A theory of consciousness would involve new basic principles or "psychophysical principles."
Psychophysical Principles
- These principles would describe how experience depends on physical features.
- They complement, rather than contradict, existing physical laws, supplementing them to explain how physical processes lead to experience.
Dualism
- The position supports a variety of dualism:
- Proposes that mind has basic mental properties separate from physical properties.
- Compatible with scientific worldview, akin to how Maxwell expanded physics' ontology with electromagnetism.
- Naturalistic Dualism: Suggests a network of basic entities and laws, potentially including a law-based theory of consciousness.
Implications
- Acknowledges that fundamental theories (e.g., of matter or experience) do not explain the existence of their basic components.
- By integrating new fundamental properties, it aligns with the naturalistic approach of science, proposing a structured, law-based understanding of consciousness.
Summary: Chalmers advocates for a nonreductive explanation of consciousness by treating experience as a fundamental aspect of the universe, similar to entities in physics, and introducing new principles to explain its relation to physical phenomena, forming a basis for a naturalistic form of dualism.