What if We Seem to Seem and Not Seem? Estimating the Unreasonable Price of Illusionism
Problemos April 10, 2024 Biplab Karak
Illusionism claims that phenomenal consciousness only seems to exist, thereby sidestepping the hard problem of consciousness. But the view is self-refuting: the phenomenal illusions it posits are themselves indistinguishable from genuine phenomenality, so illusionism merely reintroduces the same phenomenon it aims to deny. This absurdity alone justifies rejecting illusionism. The paper examines whether any reasonable justification can salvage illusionism in the face of the experientially undeniable reality of phenomenal consciousness.