2. The Problem of Life

Question: Why do you think there is an unsolved ‘problem of life’ over and above what science tell us about life? Answer: A complete theory of life must include an explanation for phenomenal consciousness. Science has  come up with partial solutions and these are indeed useful. But a logically coherent and experientially meaningful solution is still … Continue reading 2. The Problem of Life →

3. What is Knowledge?

Q: Why do you think enquiring into the nature of knowledge is important?  A: Science, enormously successful in generating reliable information about natural world, lead us to conclude consciousness is an illusion. Our fascination with objectivity has resulted in erasing ourselves off the world picture. There must be a mistake somewhere. Is phenomenal consciousness unreal? … Continue reading 3. What is Knowledge? →

4. Knower and the Known

Q: What exactly is the ‘knower’? How does it generate objective knowledge?  A: Defining ‘knower’ as a black box is an attempt to stick to physicalism without explaining away phenomenal consciousness. Mind evolving from matter is often presented as an option, but it is an explanatory dead-end. ‘Knower’ hypothesis is an attempt to bypass the ‘mind-from-matter’ miracle … Continue reading 4. Knower and the Known →

6. The Knowledge Spectrum and Two-Eyed Seeing

Q: Let us get back to the ‘knower’ and its history. You said its sole function is to generate objective knowledge. How about other types of knowledge claims? Where does subjective knowledge come from?  A: ‘Knowledge’ is a word with many shades of meaning, ranging from precise as in ‘scientific knowledge’ to ambiguous as in … Continue reading 6. The Knowledge Spectrum and Two-Eyed Seeing →

8. Science of Life: Promises and Pitfalls

Q: How will all these speculations about nature of knowledge help with the ‘problem of life’? A: Let us come back to the problem of life. There are two sub problems involved as discussed earlier. Explaining the mechanism of life is a scientific problem and it is fairly well understood. Life’s meaning and purpose is the other … Continue reading 8. Science of Life: Promises and Pitfalls →

9. Beyond Matter and Mind

Q: You keep bringing up the term ‘unknowability’. I can understand there are things we do not yet know in science but you seem to mean something else. What exactly is the ‘unknowability’ you refer to? A: Science’s reality consists of the ‘objectively knowable’. I believe ‘objectively knowable’ is only a subset of reality. Q: You have got … Continue reading 9. Beyond Matter and Mind →

10. Creative Evolution and the Comprehensibility puzzle

Q: You have been talking about too many things. What exactly are you driving at? A: I believe there is a huge error in the way we comprehend reality. The ‘hard problem of consciousness’ is a faultline caused by this error. I am attempting to explain the nature of this error starting from reliable facts of science.  … Continue reading 10. Creative Evolution and the Comprehensibility puzzle →

11. Religious thinking and origin of the Supernatural

Q: Religious thinking played an important role in the evolution of human societies. What are your thoughts on religions? A: I am fascinated by religions. The subject matter of faith is interesting but the fact of people believing in supernatural gods is even more so.  Q: Why do you find the ‘fact of people believing’ … Continue reading 11. Religious thinking and origin of the Supernatural →

12. Christian Faith and Evolution of Consciousness

Q: You said religious thinking reflects the history of human evolution. Can you provide a more specific example? A: Consider the Christian faith. Bible has a very interesting  account of creation. God made the entire universe in six days from nothing. Man was created from dust and God blew into his nostrils to give him life.  Q: Well, that … Continue reading 12. Christian Faith and Evolution of Consciousness →

13. The Way of Nature

Q: What do you see as the greatest challenge facing mankind? A: The greatest challenge is to arrive at a theory of life inclusive of its subjective features. Individual existence is insignificant from science’s objective point of view, but infinitely significant from the subject’s own view point. These two diametrically opposing facts must be reconciled. Q: That is … Continue reading 13. The Way of Nature →