The Controversy Over Physicalism vs. Non-physicalism: Which One Is More Supported?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14272443Abstract
Physicalism and non-physicalism are the two dominant ideas currently being used to propose explanations for consciousness. However, a final consensus for an explanation of the basis of consciousness has not yet been achieved. This study analyzes the current viewpoints of physicalism and non-physicalism and the weaknesses of these viewpoints in order to determine which argument, if any, is more likely to comprise a definitive explanation for consciousness in the future. It assesses the popularity of each argument and the possible future direction for the overall debate. The study results suggest that physicalism is more popular than non-physicalism, although non-physicalism is expected to grow as an argument in the future in the debate. This indicates that a new explanation for consciousness that incorporates the ideas of both physicalism and non-physicalism may be developed.
Keywords:
consciousness, physicalism, non-physicalism, popularity, debateDownloads
Metrics
References
Aleksiev D. Missing Entities: Has Panpsychism Lost the Physical World? Journal of Consciousness Studies 2021; 28(9–10): 194–211.
Baysan U, Wildman N. Physicalism or Anti-physicalism: A Disjunctive Account. Erkenntnis 2024; 89(1): 223–239.
Chalmers D. The Meta-Problem of Consciousness. Journal of Consciousness Studies 2018; 25(9–10): 6–61.
Cutter B. The Many-Subjects Argument Against Physicalism. In: Lee G, Pautz A, editors. The Importance of Being Conscious. Oxford University Press; 2024.
Frankish K. Illusionism as a Theory of Consciousness. Journal of Consciousness Studies 2016; 23(11–12): 11–39.
Frankish K. Panpsychism and the Depsychologization of Consciousness. Aristotelian Society Supplementary Volume 2021; 95(1): 51–70.
Goff P. How Exactly Does Panpsychism Help Explain Consciousness? Ingenta Connect 2024. Available at: https://doi.org/10.53765/20512201.31.3.056. [Accessed 4 August 2024].
Liu M. Revelation and the intuition of dualism. Synthese 2021; 199(3): 11491–11515.
Mørch HH. Non-physicalist Theories of Consciousness. Elements in Philosophy of Mind [Preprint]. 2023.
Zanotti G. Consciousness, Neuroscience, and Physicalism: Pessimism About Optimistic Induction. Acta Analytica 2023; 38(2): 283–297.
Zietsch BP. Resolving the evolutionary paradox of consciousness. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences [Preprint]. 2024. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11097-024-09978-7. [Accessed 4 August 2024].
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Kevin Winston
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors continue to hold copyright with no restrictions.