Ironically, as I was finishing my “thesis” a genuine professor of philosophy engaged with me and spent some 6-7 weeks schooling me on the “Hard Problem” of consciousness. It was interesting thought unsurprisingly we came to a conclusion and agreed to disagree and parted on good terms.
The professor really impressed, the philosophy continued to fall short.
Prof email March 30, 2026
Quoting Cc:
“This is the new evolutionary biological reality of modern science, that is the foundation of my perspective.”Prof: But what does that MEAN?
"You still haven’t explained what your perspective actually IS, other than "This is definitely what happened.”
Cc: What that means is that WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING WITHIN OUR BODIES IS INCREASINGLY WELL UNDERSTOOD ACCORDING TO MEDICAL SCIENCE! The past decades have brought amazing foundational insights to how our senses have developed over Deep Time, via an Evolutionary-biological understanding.
My perspective is that medical and evolutionary biology has done an awesome job of learning about what our body is, and how that body engages with life, and experiences life, including how and why we humans think and act.
With its origins in half a billion years worth of evolving generations, preceded by billions of years worth of cellular developments creating the building blocks, that made complexity possible.
Philosopher’s keep telling me, I am missing something.
When I ask them to explain, I get superior attitudes and dismissal and idealistic word plays — that is, just-so human constructs of imagination and “logic” (that often sidesteps understood biological material reality). Worst often I hear argumentation that disregards the Human Mind ~ Physical Reality divide.
Avoidance via trivializing lessons in evolutionary biology, even though it is Evolution that holds the authoritative substance to teach us about who we are, . . . and why we behave as we do.
Dismissing all that as the easy problem? Perhaps a bit of Dunning-Kruger action?
Bringing it back to the “Hard Problem”
The experience of an experience is just that, physical stuff. Chemicals, and photons, pressure waves and touch impinging upon my body, physically transformed into signals that process as they careen towards higher processing centers, creating a feeling that permeates my body. Then we rush to the next moment and all it triggers. Our dance on the knife edge of life.
It feels like something to live because the juices and electricity and passions of the moment are physically coursing through our physical body, triggering cascades that permeate our senses. — same as it ever was with every other living creature. Each according to their type upon this miracle planet that we Wise humans are destroying just as fast as we can, thanks to that same self-absorption and disregard for the biological obvious.
As Mark Solms so wonderfully explains, the most constructive way to think of our mind (and your “Self”) is as the inside reflection of your body communicating with itself, as it is dealing with life, inside and outside.
How will you learn to deal with it?
That is what I mean, philosophy with all its intellectual gymnastics and ego driven hubristic disconnect, be damned, I’m talking about actually learning to understand myself and to help resolve those eternal human insecurities & questions & wonderment!
What does the philosophy crowd have to offer the humanity outside of their cloistered ivory towers, regular people who need understanding, they can understand?