David Chalmers

Abstract

Australian philosopher David Chalmers (born on 20 April 1966 in Sydney) stands out among the thinkers who have mostly contributed to revitalize the field of philosophy of mind over the last few years. His 1996 book The Conscious Mind had the ambition of setting the philosophical agenda with regard to the investigation of consciousness. Chalmers’ philosophical interests also cover metaphysics and epistemology (branches of philosophy that deal with the nature of existence and knowledge), in which he has given relevant contributions with thought-provoking ideas. Chalmers gained his PhD from Indiana University Bloomington under Douglas Hofstadter. From 2002 to 2004, he was Director of the Center for Consciousness Studies at the University of Arizona and sponsor of the Toward a Science of Consciousness conference. He currently is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Consciousness at the Australian National University, and Professor of Philosophy and Co-director of the Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness at New York University.

The really hard problem of consciousness is the problem of experience.

[…] Why should physical processing give rise to a rich inner life at all?

It seems objectively unreasonable that it should, and yet it does.

If any problem qualifies as the problem of consciousness, it is this one.

(Facing up to the problem of consciousness)