Dr. Tom Froese - Irruption theory of life and mind

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Our intentions make a difference to our actions, and yet there are no intentions to be found inside the causal chains running through our brains and bodies. Similarly, the way in which the world impinges on brain activity makes a difference to our perceptual experience, and yet we cannot trace any causal chains into consciousness. These are problem of mental causation and the hard problem of consciousness - two classic manifestations of the mind-body problem in cognitive science. With irruption theory I propose to take these problems at face value: this incompleteness of our measurements is not due to temporary gaps in current scientific knowledge; rather, they positively inform us about the subtle relations between matter, life, and mind. Intentional agency and subjective experience are real - and they make a measurable difference - it's just that the way these differences show up in physiological activity is irreducibly surprising!