David Bentley Hart - Does Consciousness Defeat Materialism?

What would it take for consciousness to defeat materialism or physicalism? This is the worldview that only the physical is real, which is the dominant view of scientists and philosophers. Here’s what it would take: our inner awareness, our experience of what things feel like, could not be explained by physical brain alone That’s it. A tall order, though.

David Bentley Hart is an American Orthodox Christian philosophical theologian, cultural commentator and polemicist.

Closer To Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

[TravelingPhilosopher]

I like David Bentley Hart and the way he writes. He's a great writer and speaker.

[tjssailor]

There’s a lot talk about the hard problem of consciousness but little discussion about hardest problem of all - our seeming individuality. Why would electricity in my head create my consciousness and electricity in your head create your consciousness? Why am I, I and you, you? As well as not being able to explain any specific qualia materialist theories cannot explain this, the most important thing. Why do I seem to be a specific, individualized consciousness associated with a specific body while you seem to be a different specific, individualized consciousness associated with another body? Why am I, I and you, you? There were billions of bodies around before this one showed up so what changed that I should suddenly find myself to be looking out of the eyeballs of this particular body and no other? When it comes to understanding consciousness this is the most important question that must be asked and answered but it is rarely even acknowledged. When the ontologies purporting to explain consciousness are examined critically it becomes obvious that all materialist/reductionist strategies fail completely in attempting to address this question. What is the principled explanation for why:
A brain over here would generate my specific consciousness and a brain over there would generate your specific consciousness?
Integrated information over here would generate my specific consciousness and integrated information over there would generate your specific consciousness?
Global workspace over here would generate my specific consciousness and global workspace there would generate your specific consciousness?
Orchestrated quantum collapse in microtubules over here would generate my specific consciousness and orchestrated quantum collapse in microtubules over there would generate your specific consciousness?
A clump of conscious atoms over here (panpsychicism) would generate my specific consciousness and a clump of conscious over there would generate your specific consciousness?

Materialism already fails since it cannot find a transfer function between microvolt level sparks in the brain and any experience or qualia. In addition it’s not even possible for materialistic ontologies to address this question of individuality since no measurement can be made that could verify my consciousness vs your consciousness and therefore no materialist ontology could make any coherent statements about the subject.

[alanbooth]

best exposition in a long time of this problem- others get side tracked but David's incisive arguments are compelling- quite exhilarating to have it defined so precisely to make any counter argument effectively impotent

[grolmidri]

One of the best interviews on this channel 👍

[Autobotmatt]

Finally you guys post this part of the interview. Thank you. I love Hart and Khuns back and forth .

[shayneswenson]

Robert is such a wonderful host and a brilliant mind. Dr Hart is also a joy to listen to. ❤☦️

[shawngoldman]

Great conversation between two great minds. At the end of the day, we are still a mystery to ourselves.

[HappySlappii]

Hey you two this joint isn't going to smoke itself.

[InPursuitOfCuriosity]

Such a highly intellectual discussion that is not so easy for the average person (me) to wrap their head around.

[sharmitoboylos]

"soul substance" awesome still going strong, Robert. Still elevating the conversation. Thank you.

[ToothvoiyCardinal]

Awesome. The contradistinction between these arguments are equally fascinating. In my humble opinion.

[kitstamat]

It's interesting how someone who is not a prominent name in the study of consciousness has a much greater clarity and deeper understanding of the problem than those who are prominent in the field.

[avi]

Robert Kuhn's energy and passion to tackle these knotty questions from various angles is highly commendable! A theologian this time? I am listening. Maybe some insights from Buddhists and Advaitins would fit in somewhere too.
Thanks for your relentless curiosity!

[repentantrevenant]

This interview was one of the most defining moments of my philosophical journey. This moment is when "the penny dropped" for me.

[SurrealMcCoy]

10:38 "It's the entirety of all experience and all of it's discernible properties." What discernible property could experience have other than experience itself?

[angelabutler]

Conciousness is not what you do, its what you are. Fundamental as existence.

[Ekam-Sat]

Consciousness and Materialism are ONE.

[douglinze]

Great interview, the last minute is the best… It’s really not hard to imagine when you “see and think in Sound…
9 random unorganized sounds actually Create “Intelligent, Organized Tones… My numbers prove it, especially when I convert my numbers into musical Notes… It literally comes out of my 64-digit 3:6:9 Harmonic Matrix, from Vacuum Substance…
100% Evolved Structured Sound Torus, Radiating Pure Perfection, at least from my Theory…
Magical “108…”

[mcnallyaar]

10/10 best of the best of the internet

[theotormon]

Would love to hear a discussion about consciousness with Johnjoe McFadden.