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 →

5. What am ‘I’?

Q: There is friction between emerging meta-cognitive faculty and rest of nature but why should it be a problem? ‘Knower’ is an evolutionary adaptation like vision and I should have control over this function. I can decide to keep my eyes shut whenever I choose. Why can’t I order my ‘knower’ function to stay quiet … Continue reading 5. What am ‘I’? →

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 →

7. Science and Consciousness

Q: How is science related to this 'spectrum of knowledge'? A: 'Objective knowing' is the latest addition to the spectrum. It is a powerful tool to unravel hidden patterns in the behaviour of matter through observation and measurement. Q: You said earlier objective knowledge is limited in scope yet science is key to the problem … Continue reading 7. Science and Consciousness →

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 →

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 →

14. In a nutshell…

I have tried to explore the problem of life from different angles through these dialogues. The result is a chain of interlinked ideas. Here are the major themes of my argument: The Problem of Life Life remains a mystery. Science has done a great job about the mechanism of life while purpose and meaning questions … Continue reading 14. In a nutshell… →