Airing Out David Chalmers' problem

In search of intelligent dialogue . . .

I also published this at [medium.com](#), July 2, 2025

Down by the river

I come at these deep questions about human consciousness and origins from a biological bottom-up, evolutionary perspective.

One that, I believe, receives way too little attention. Especially in light of the past couple decades of amazing biological breakthroughs in understanding further layers of detail within our body/brain’s folds within folds of harmonic, cumulative, complexity.

From my Earth Centrist perspective Chalmers’ words personify human hubris and a curious tendency to expect Nature to prove itself to us. Evolution has plenty to teach us about consciousness, why turn the philosophical cold shoulder to it?

As for me, my goal has been a graspable down to Earth understanding of mind, along with who I am, based on solid biology, evolutionary, scientific understanding along with a healthy appreciation for my animal nature and the Human Mind ~ Physical Reality divide.

Here I share representative quotes from David Chalmers and reflect on the blindspots. Then I invite critique and discussion. This is about a learning.

From: The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory ― David J. Chalmers

Chalmers: “There is nothing we know about more directly than consciousness, but it is far from clear how to reconcile it with everything else we know.

Why does (consciousness) exist?"

From within a biological bottom-up, evolutionary perspective, levels of consciousness exist because creatures had to differentiate between inside and outside; Creatures needed to develop ways to find and absorb good things; then to lock out bad things; and also to excrete bad things; while keeping good things within.

Learning how to recognize and maintain dynamic balance has been a life or death challenge since the beginnings of life itself.

Some form of internal awareness~consciousness has been a prerequisite for survival since the dawn of complex single cells — even more, as complex organisms evolved.


Chalmers: “What does (consciousness) do?”

Consciousness doesn’t seem to do anything, it’s the result of our body/brain doing stuff. Foam coming to the surface.

Consciousness is the reflection of your biological body communicating with itself.

Humans have gained tools to do amazing things to capture and “materialize” their “consciousness” — turning dreams into memories. But still, in the end, consciousness is a fleeting moment, ever changing as time rushes on. Creature dies and all their conscious flow stops

Chalmers: “How could (consciousness) possibly arise from lumpy gray matter?”

Agreed, it can’t.

Consciousness arises from the whole of the living organism.

Body + Brain + interaction (interior & exterior) = consciousness

Chalmers: "The International Dictionary of Psychology does not even try to give a straightforward characterization:

Consciousness: The having of perceptions, thoughts, and feelings; awareness.

Consciousness is a fascinating but elusive phenomenon:

Chalmers: “it is impossible to specify what it is,”

Sure we can specify it from a biological bottom-up Evolutionary perspective — it is self-evident that consciousness is the inside reflection of one’s body/brain communicating with itself.

Currently scientists are discovering layers of inner body communication channels that have nothing to with brain or neurons per se. Though they certainly interact with them on levels still not understood — our body is an interwoven web, each component serving its function and consciousness being a by-product of the whole communicating with itself.

We still have much to learn, it’s too early for philosophical skyhooks and riddles. Some human intellectual humility, and more focus beyond neurons, to the full scope of evidence evolutionary biology has to offer, would help.

Chalmers: “what (consciousness) does,”

Consciousness is on a continuum. Each to their own kind. Different creatures have different hardware and needs. At its most fundamental it’s about the body communicating with itself.

Human consciousness is extra special - but philosophers would do good it remember it evolved out of mammalian consciousness, not out of the cosmos.

The continuum of consciousness is in the layers of internal communication, which enable body/brain communication, … which evolved out of more primitive “central processing.”

Think about the human with layers of sub-conscious doing amazing amounts of scanning, calculating, decision making, below the surface of self-awareness. All dedicated to operating the body and creating the free space, for Mind and self-reflection — and all that fancy consciousness our minds are capable of.

Chalmers: “or why (consciousness) evolved.”

The beginnings of life provide an answer!

Creatures had to differentiate between inside and outside.

Creatures needed to develop ways to find and absorb good things.

While locking out bad things.

Also, how to excrete bad things, while holding in the good stuff.

How to recognize and maintain balance.

How to move, where to move, why move, all that needed to be internalized with said creature, be it single celled, or a moth, or a hominid.

Some form of internal self awareness has been a hallmark - and prerequisite - for survival since the dawn of complex single cells.

Chalmers: “Nothing worth reading has been written about it. (Sutherland 1989)”

That may have been true in 1989, but it rings hollow in 2025.

(See, Solms, Damasio, Sapolsky, Nick Lane, Sloan-Wilson, just for starters)

Chalmers: “Why should there be conscious experience at all?

“It is central to a subjective viewpoint, but from an objective viewpoint it is utterly unexpected.”

But, it does seem pretty plausible from an evolutionary viewpoint.

Variations and improvements on a theme and over a billion years of research, development, and culling.

In Chalmers’ words I hear human hubris demanding that nature prove itself to us. I don’t believe understanding works like that.

Quotes from ― David J. Chalmers, The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory

More David Chalmers quotes

“Consciousness is a fundamental feature of the universe, as pervasive as time and space.”

Consciousness a feature of the universe?

Based on what?

Using what definition for Consciousness?

Space and time, the universe, is material reality, energy, particles, forces obeying certain natural laws.

Where is there a need for choice?

Matter, electricity, magnetism, gravity, etc., none of that has any need for consciousness. Or?

Now, here on Earth, there is an entirely different state of affair.

Down here on Earth biology managed to take electricity and turn it inside out,

first to drive chemical reactions,

then to go much further and drive biology,

which spent billions of years learning how to harness that spark of energy into something useful.

Emergence and all that.

“Consciousness” is a fundamental pervasive feature of biology here on Earth.
&
“Consciousness is not just a passive reflection of the external world, but an active process of interpretation and experience.”

David Chalmers

Hmmm, isn’t the active process of experience and interpretation done by the body/brain?

Consciousness registers the body/brain’s experience and interpretation.

The mind processes, trying to keep up, since usually it is the body/brain that decides what to do next. With our mind, being the last to know, so to speak. And doing its best to keep up and rationalize what the body is engaged in.

Body + Brain + interacting (internal & exterior) = “consciousness”

As for other creatures, it is self-evident that consciousness is on a spectrum in relation to biological type and life style. Awareness~consciousness is a product of the entire organism working in harmony, it can’t be isolated to specific locations.

“Understanding consciousness is not just an intellectual pursuit, but a deeply personal and existential quest.”

David Chalmers

I absolutely agree. That’s why I believe this is so critically important to realize — our consciousness comes from within our own body’s interactions with itself and the world around us.

Realizing the significance of possessing an evolved body that has gone through a half billion years of iterations, as each new generation was born — to live its life anew — is profound.

All that heritage is flowing through our body and if we are to understand ourselves, we need to reconcile ourselves with that solid scientific reality.

You are a filament in Earth’s pageant of evolution. That means something important. I know this awareness has offered me some foundational peace, not to mention, a good deal of clarity regarding myself and my place.

“The study of consciousness requires us to think beyond traditional scientific paradigms.”

David Chalmers

True enough, but it’s at the level of learning more about what biological sciences and evolution has to teach us. And how well we incorporate those lessons.

It does not need any imaginative metaphysical skyhooks driven by impossible expectations.

“Consciousness is an emergent phenomenon that arises from complex interactions within the brain.”

David Chalmers

I’ve noticed, there’s never any mention of our body, it’s always about neurons. How does Chalmers justify ignoring the whole biological body and its evolutionary history, not to mention the brain’s intimate link to all reaches of our body?

Body + Brain + interacting (internal & exterior) = “consciousness”.

This is not a trivial distinction.

“Consciousness is a profound mystery that invites us to contemplate the nature of existence itself.
&
Consciousness is a mystery that invites us to rethink our fundamental assumptions about the nature of reality.”

David Chalmers

What it does, is challenge us with coming to terms with our Ego driven self-absorption and self-serving nature — in light of our biological, evolutionary heritage, and Earth’s physical reality.

To rethink the nature of our biological evolutionary reality, and consider what it means to be a generational iteration of one particular genetic theme.

In my perspective, our consciousness demands a deeper appreciation for the “Physical Reality ~ Human Mind divide” and a rethinking of our personal relationship with the knowledge we possess.

Body + Brain + interacting (internal & exterior) = “consciousness”

I’m sure I left out plenty, and being a non-academician, or AI assisted, the writing and flow probably isn’t of the best quality. Still, the concepts are solid and scientifically defensible and I believe as important, as getting a solid grip on the question of, who am I, and why does it matter.

Constructive critique is invited.

“Understanding consciousness is not just an intellectual pursuit, but a deeply personal and existential quest.”

David Chalmers

I absolutely agree. That’s why I believe this is so critically important to realize — our consciousness comes from within our own body’s interactions with itself and the world around us.

Realizing the significance of possessing an evolved body that has gone through a half billion years of iterations, as each new generation was born — to live its life anew — is profound.

All that heritage is flowing through our body, and if we are to understand ourselves, we need to reconcile ourselves with that solid scientific reality that is manifest in your body, brain, viscera.

It’s a question of our mental wellbeing when dealing with our helplessness in the face of upheaval and destruction - It seems to me that without a deep interior intellectual (knowing and appreciating basic scientific understanding of natural facts) regarding who I am, I’d be a mess with no foundation for spiritual health strength and faith to take a hold on. Lost and confused.

But I understand that I am a filament in Earth’s pageant of evolution. That represents something important that connects me with all life on this Earth. I know this awareness has offered me some foundational peace, not to mention, a good deal of clarity regarding myself and my place.

Internalizing, the regressions, the fact that I, my body, literally is an iteration of one specific body plans path through the gauntlet of evolution, going back in time, uninterrupted, for a half billion years. Being a dad and a grandda. I can witness this creature within me, reiterated in a couple other beautiful human creatures, my love, possessing an echo of me and their respective moms.

I was there for my wife’s entire birth process, and then the crowning, the totally unexpected presentation of the skull as it squeezed through, before the brain could follow to take its place. Then a psychic shock and I fell into spiritual regression, an epiphany, of this being my moment to participate in this most sacred of human traditions. I realized this little creature’s evolutionary legacy - Life’s drive, all the mom’s that came before.

A healthy mom and child to celebrate, then maybe an hour’s worth of the afterglow of touching life’s eternally.

That’s where straight science and appreciation for Earth and the unknowable drive for ever more complex Life, blossoms with a spiritual aspect, that human’s so dearly need. I don’t need “God”, or the heaven, I have Earth and her amazing pageant.

The deep in my gut spiritual buzz faded as I got on with living life in our busy society. But the impact of realizing the regression of moms’, the memory, the way it harmoniously clicked with the entire trajectory of my experience, that’s been unforgettable.

For instance, some 14 years earlier I had received 6 weeks of butchering and sausage making experience (a Swiss Metzgerei) which gave me the experience, on a later job, to be tasked with skinning and butchering up a deer - somewhere during the dissection process I had a different epiphany experience. I becoming totally aware of how, anatomically speaking, the deer was basically the same creature as myself. Same bones, different proportions, sure. But that’s a triviality compared to seeing with one’s eyes, and feeling within one’s souls that all of these muscles and bones are within my own body. Reflected in this deer carcass splayed out in front of me. Don’t think for a moment I wasn’t aware of the alive creature’s reality and how I’ve helped take that away. That’s what makes butchering a religious experience for many, including myself.

Seriously, on the inside the similarities are amazing and beautiful.

So while other’s get grossed out and freak when reminded of where their favorite foods come from, I’m okay with the circle of life. Someday, I’ll get dissected and made use of by what may be, to everything turn, turn. And it is good.

It’s one thing to talk about the Oneness of Life and an entirely different thing to experience it in the course of one’s day, during the mundane chores and joys and tears of our lives, as an expression of the whole.

The difference between a postcard and Being There.

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