From mindless mathematics to thinking meat?
arXiv Preprint Archive July 27, 2017 Matt Visser
The essay argues that the theme of the 2017 FQXi essay contest, which invokes teleology, goals, aims, intentions, and consciousness in physics, is premature. Teleology is rarely useful in physics; the only mainstream example, black hole event horizons, has a mixed track record. The concepts of aims and intentions imply consciousness and open the mind-body problem, while the phrase "mindless mathematical laws" conflicts with the mathematical universe hypothesis. Because no good mathematical or physical theory of consciousness exists, the contest theme is unlikely to yield a resolution widely accepted in mathematics or physics communities.