Reconceptualizing Consciousness: Towards an Expanded Scientific Paradigm
Qeios October 23, 2025 Prasanth Ariyannur
The essay argues that the hard problem of consciousness—the subjective experience of 'what it's like'—may be unsolvable by current scientific methods. Neuroscience identifies neural correlates of consciousness, but these are only proximate manifestations, not the fundamental nature of consciousness. The core critique is the 'subset problem': if consciousness is a superset that includes brain structures, defining it solely through brain mechanisms is inherently limited. Scientific instruments, designed for the physical realm, cannot measure phenomena that may transcend material dimensions, suggesting rules beyond the brain. Consciousness could be a primary, abstract constituent of reality, like information or mathematics, rendering the hard problem a consequence of applying subset-oriented tools to a superset phenomenon. The essay proposes that a broader conceptual paradigm is necessary.