Philosophers struggle with the mind-body problem ad infinitum. It has been debated for millennia. But, one question remains perplexing. The accepted philosophy of mind is that everything is physical. The problem is this: given the fact that everything is physical, AKA a materialist perspective, how do we account for consciousness?

By materialist perspective, I mean the “belief” that everything is physical. This “belief” explains everything in philosophy except consciousness. How do we account for other consciousnesses besides humans’, like other mammals’? What does it feel like to be a bat?

“What does it feel like to be a bat?” is the title of a paper I read in college, by Thomas Nagel, published in 1974. In it, he describes the mind-body problem. He focuses on describing how we are still dealing with it by being unable to account for consciousness.

The problem is this: given the fact that everything is physical, AKA a materialist perspective, how do we account for consciousness? The mystery remains, with no logical solution in sight. We can ponder and wonder all we want. However, more technological advancement is needed to truly understand the true nature of consciousness.

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