The Hard Problem of Consciousness is Neither That Hard nor That Fundamental

INTRODUCTION

The question of consciousness has puzzled philosophers, neuroscientists, and thinkers for centuries. Among the myriad challenges this question presents, the “hard problem of consciousness” is one of the most enigmatic. Coined by David Chalmers, this term refers to the difficulty of explaining why and how physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experiences. While much progress has been made in understanding the workings of the brain, the leap from neural activity to the richness of conscious experience remains a mystery.

At the core of the hard problem is the challenge of explaining qualia—the individual instances of subjective, conscious experience. For example, consider the redness of a rose, the bitterness of coffee, or the pain of a headache. These experiences are profoundly personal, and while they are undoubtedly linked to brain processes, there is a significant gap in our understanding of how these processes translate into subjective experiences. This problem contrasts with the “easy problems” of consciousness, which involve explaining the mechanisms of perception, cognition, and behavior. These easy problems, while complex, are more approachable through scientific investigation. In contrast, the hard problem delves into the very essence of what it means to be aware.

Now that we understand the definition of the “hard problem” of consciousness, I will explain why the Hard Problem of Consciousness is not truly a Hard problem. The challenge lies in framing the question and the tools we use to approach it. We are accustomed to tackling problems with knowledge, memory, and analysis—tools that have served us well in countless domains. However, these cognitive tools are not suited for answering consciousness questions. I will elaborate on how this question is the same as asking some other questions that look simple but fall under the same set of questions of hard problems of consciousness.?

WHY IS THE HEART PUMPING BLOOD???

To illustrate the above point, consider the question, “Why is the heart pumping blood?” On the surface, we might think this is a straightforward question. We know how the heart pumps blood, the mechanisms involved, and what happens when it fails. But if we dig deeper and ask, “Why does the heart pump blood in the first place?” we enter the same territory as the question of why the brain generates consciousness. The “why” in its most fundamental sense—why this organ exists and performs this function—is something we cannot fully answer.

Both the heart pumping blood and the brain generating consciousness are natural processes that arise from the complex interactions within our bodies. We accept that the heart’s function is to circulate blood without demanding a deeper, teleological reason. The same acceptance can apply to the brain's role in producing consciousness. Both processes are intrinsic to these organs, and our challenge lies not in questioning their existence but in understanding the limitations of our tools in probing these mysteries.

UNDERSTANDING THE LIMITATIONS OF HUMAN-CREATED KNOWLEDGE FRAMEWORKS?

This leads us to the insight: the issue is not with the phenomena but the tools and frameworks we use to interrogate them. While powerful, our scientific and philosophical tools are products of the human brain—limited by its capabilities and perspectives. These tools are excellent for exploring and explaining phenomena within human-designed systems and the tangible, observable world. However, they fall short when we try to apply them to questions outside these boundaries, such as the origins of natural processes or the fundamental “whys” of existence.

“Why does the brain create consciousness?” is like asking, “Why does the heart pump blood?” within a framework that may not be equipped to answer such questions. We are using the same tools that the brain created to try and understand the brain itself—a circular problem that leads to confusion.

Consider the difference between human-made and non-human-made systems to understand why we might be asking the wrong question for so long. When we ask why a car’s engine functions in a certain way, why our education system is structured the way it is, or why our government does specific actions, we can trace these questions back to clear origins: cars, education systems, and governments are all human creations. They were designed with specific purposes, and their functioning can be understood entirely within the framework of human knowledge and intention.

However, the framework begins to falter when we turn this questioning to non-human-made systems, particularly those like human consciousness that humans did not design. We did not create the human brain; it evolved over billions of years, long before our species, Homo sapiens, could ask questions or build systems of knowledge. Our knowledge itself—the very tool we use to question the world—is a product of human creation.

When we ask, “Why does the brain create consciousness?” we are, in essence, trying to apply a human-made framework to a phenomenon that exists outside of our intentional design. We are seeking a purpose or a reason in the same way we might seek a reason for why a car was built to drive. But consciousness, like the brain itself, was not “built” with purpose by a human designer.??

THE LIMITATIONS OF KNOWLEDGE: THE SEARCH BEYOND HUMAN-CREATED KNOWLEDGE FRAMEWORKS??

Now that we understand that the Human-Created Knowledge Framework has limitations, the next question is: What tools should we use? How should we approach asking questions for systems that are not human-made??

The first step in exploring this new territory is recognizing the limitations of knowledge itself. Knowledge, as we understand it, is a construct of the human brain. It is bound by what the brain can do—what it can imagine, store, and recall. Our entire understanding of the world, from the most basic facts to the most complex theories, is limited by the human mind's capabilities. When we ask questions within the realm of knowledge, we are constrained by these boundaries. This is effective when dealing with human-created systems, but it becomes problematic when we try to apply the same tools to natural phenomena like consciousness, which exist independently of our knowledge frameworks.?

Going beyond knowledge means abandoning the very framework that defines what we understand as “knowledge.” It requires a fundamental shift in perspective, where we no longer rely on the brain’s capacity to think, imagine, or remember in the traditional sense. The first step in this process is to clear the mind of knowledge—to let go of the power that knowledge holds when dealing with human-created problems. This doesn’t mean disregarding knowledge entirely but rather setting it aside when it comes to questions that knowledge cannot answer.

ABANDONING THE POWER OF KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge’s power is undeniable in human activities—building a car, buying milk, setting up a government, or getting a job. These actions rely on our ability to think, plan, and execute within the framework of human knowledge. However, when we face questions that knowledge cannot address, such as the origins of consciousness, this power becomes a limitation. To explore beyond and answer the hard problem of consciousness, we must first recognize that as powerful as it is, knowledge has its limits.

We must be willing to step beyond these limits, abandon the familiar territory of thought and memory, and enter a space where knowledge is not the primary tool.

This is the first and most fundamental step: clearing the mind of the assumptions and boundaries that knowledge imposes and preparing to explore a new way of understanding that is not constrained by the framework of knowledge. Once we have taken this step—abandoning the framework of knowledge—the question then becomes: What lies beyond? How do we navigate this uncharted territory where the tools we have been accustomed to for over 200,000 years no longer apply?

THE PARADOX OF USING THE BRAIN BEYOND KNOWLEDGE: CLEARING THE MIND AND RETURNING TO THE BRAIN

Herein lies a paradox. Even as we clear our minds of the conventional framework of knowledge, we are left with the realization that the brain is still our only tool. We cannot simply set the brain aside; it is the instrument through which all our experiences and understandings are filtered. The brain is responsible for creating knowledge, and now we are asking it to go beyond that very creation—to engage in a form of inquiry that does not rely on the established pathways of imagination, memory, and reasoning that typically define human understanding.? So, how do we approach this challenge? The heart and the brain, neither designed nor created by human intention, function according to natural laws, and we do not know why. When we ask “why” questions about these organs—why does the heart pump blood and the brain produce consciousness—we grapple with the same fundamental mystery. These questions are similar, as they both seek to understand the inner workings of natural phenomena that exist independently of human design.

The brain’s functions of memory, imagination, and reasoning are deeply intertwined with the production of knowledge. Now, I am asking that to truly understand phenomena like consciousness, we must somehow ask the brain to provide tools beyond what it has already given us—tools that do not rely on the very knowledge that the brain has produced. This is not an easy ask, and it seems contradictory at first. We are asking the brain to step outside of its creation to offer something not rooted in the processes it typically uses to understand the world. But this is where the new insights lie.

THE CLARITY PARADOX: SEEING BEYOND WHAT IS IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF US

Imagine you’re driving a car, and the vehicle directly in front of you is crystal clear in your vision. While helpful for navigating your immediate surroundings, this clarity blocks your view of what lies further ahead. Similarly, our focus on the brain’s well-developed cognitive functions—such as imagination, memory, knowledge creation, and analysis—provides a clear and immediate understanding of the world, but it also obscures our ability to perceive the brain’s other, less apparent capacities.

The key is not to discard or diminish the brain’s cognitive functions but to recognize that there is more beyond them. By understanding that our focus on these functions has been both necessary and limiting, we can begin to shift our attention and allow the brain’s other features to emerge.

LETTING THE BRAIN DO ITS JOB AND EXERCISE OTHER TOOLS AND FEATURES

This shift in understanding does not require us to force the brain to change or engage in specific practices to develop new capacities. Instead, it’s about letting the brain do what it’s naturally equipped to do. Once we stop focusing exclusively on knowledge, memory, and analysis and adopt a more open and expansive approach, the brain’s other capacities will naturally surface. The brain already knows how to access these deeper insights; we need to step back and let it.

By not over-relying on the familiar cognitive tools, we create space for the brain’s broader potential to manifest. This is not a process of adding new abilities or forcing a change but instead allowing what is already there to come into view.

Just because humanity has primarily used the brain for knowledge creation, memory, and analysis over the past two hundred thousand years doesn’t mean it is the brain’s only purpose or potential. As a highly complex and adaptive organ, the brain possesses capabilities and features we have not yet fully explored or understood. How we have used the brain so far is likely just one of many possible modes of operation. The history of human progress shows that we have used the brain predominantly for survival, problem-solving, and knowledge accumulation—functions that have helped us adapt and thrive in the world. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that these are the brain’s only or even the primary functions. They are simply the ones we have developed and relied upon the most over the last 200,000 years.?

We must first reimagine its function to explore the brain’s untapped potential. Rather than viewing the brain solely as an organ for knowledge creation, problem-solving, and memory, we need to recognize that these are just aspects of its capabilities that have been heavily developed and utilized throughout human evolution. These functions are like a strong muscle that we have repeatedly exercised, making it the brain's default response when faced with a challenge or a problem to solve.?

However, this strong muscle represents only a portion of the brain’s potential. There are other aspects of the brain—an aspect of its functioning that has not been explored or utilized. The key to accessing other features of the brain is not to desire it, not to actively seek it out, because the moment we set it up as a challenge or something to be achieved, the brain will automatically revert to its well-developed tools. It will use the pathways of knowledge, memory, and imagination to “solve” the problem, thus falling back into the patterns we are trying to move beyond.?

ALLOWING THE BRAIN TO ACCESS THE BROADER SYSTEM

As we have discussed, the brain is not limited to the cognitive functions we have traditionally focused on—knowledge creation, memory, analysis, and imagination. By recognizing and allowing the brain to utilize its broader capacities, we open the possibility of answers that have eluded us through conventional means.

But the key question remains: Can this broader brain capacity lead us to the answers to the questions about consciousness, the heart, protein folding, and other mysteries of existence??

My answer to this question is yes, this is the best path forward for us. As we see the current use of the brain is limited and that understanding itself frees the brain to explore its other features.?

Humans have emerged from a broader system that we did not design; the answers to these “why” questions are embedded within that system. The brain, as a product of this system, inherently possesses the capacity to understand and connect with these deeper truths—truths that are not accessible solely through the tools of knowledge and analysis. The universe, nature, and life itself operate according to principles and processes that are far more complex and integrated than anything we have created or designed. As part of this natural system, the brain can tap into these underlying principles if we allow it to operate beyond the narrow scope of cognitive analysis.

THE FIRST STEP: LETTING THE BRAIN DO ITS JOB

The first and most crucial step is to allow the brain to do its job without the constraints imposed by our traditional reliance on knowledge and analysis. This means creating the mental space necessary for the brain to access its full range of capacities. It’s important to understand that this is not about forcing the brain into a specific mode of operation or seeking answers in a traditional sense. Instead, it’s about trusting that the brain can connect with the broader system from which it emerged when not confined by the usual cognitive functions.?

Allowing the brain to flourish and utilizing these broader capacities will unlock the potential answers to the “why” questions—answers embedded within the natural system from which we emerged.

HUMANITY WILL CONTINUE TO PROGRESS THROUGH THE FLOURISHING OF THE BRAIN

We recognize that by allowing the brain’s broader capacities, we are setting the stage for an evolution in human growth and understanding of the universe. Just as a muscle strengthens and evolves through use, so too will the brain mature and expand its capabilities as we engage these underutilized aspects of its function.

As the brain matures and these capacities are developed, humanity itself will progress. As a species, we have a long way to go.?

In 5 million years, we may look back on this moment as just the beginning of a much longer journey—a journey where humanity has become more mature, smarter, and capable of answering questions far beyond what we can imagine today. By trusting in the brain’s potential and allowing it to flourish, we set the stage for an extraordinary evolution of human consciousness and understanding. I am absolutely optimistic about the future—I believe that the journey we are on, both as individuals and as a species, is one of continuous progress, where the answers we seek are waiting to be discovered as we evolve and grow.