Trivialisms about Explanatory Gap
Kriterion – Journal of Philosophy January 19, 2026 Cong Chen
The paper argues that the explanatory gap between physical facts and phenomenal consciousness may be less special than philosophers often assume. It first examines Schaffer's modest Trivialism, which combines the idea that explanatory gaps are common with the claim that the phenomenal gap is not uniquely special, and responds to a critique of that view. It then develops a more radical Trivialism, contending that epistemic insensitivity gives fewer reasons to posit a phenomenal gap compared to other gaps, such as mereological ones. The paper also addresses objections from metaontological deflationism and the possibility of a priori metaphysical knowledge.