The Mind-Matter Dichotomy: A Persistent Challenge for Neuroscientific and Philosophical Theories.
The European journal of neuroscience May 1, 2025 Wolf Singer 2 citations
The relationship between mind and matter and the nature of perception are examined from neurobiological and philosophical perspectives. Neuropsychological and neurophysiological studies are reviewed that connect neuronal processes to consciousness. The 'hard problem of consciousness'—explaining how subjective experience (qualia) arises from neuronal processes—can be alleviated if two conditions are met: perception depends on priors, and some priors are formed through interactions with immaterial realities of cultural concepts. This approach offers a coherent naturalistic explanation but does not resolve cognitive dissonance between intuitions and scientific evidence regarding matter and mind.