The Epistemic Approach to the Problem of Consciousness
The Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Consciousness July 9, 2020 Daniel Stoljar
The hard problem of consciousness asks why and how physical processes give rise to subjective experience. The epistemic view holds that we are currently ignorant of something important and relevant to solving this problem. This chapter outlines one version of that view, then considers two objections: first, that we are not ignorant of any feature relevant to the hard problem; second, that even if the epistemic approach is true, it does not answer or contribute to the problem. The chapter concludes by reflecting on why the epistemic approach, despite its appeal, remains a minority position in contemporary philosophy of mind.