The following text is about philosophy of mind.
The "hard problem of consciousness," a term coined by philosopher David Chalmers, asks why physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experience. We can explain how the brain processes visual information, but why does seeing red feel a certain way? This qualitative, first-person aspect of experience seems to resist explanation in purely physical terms. While neuroscience continues to map correlations between brain activity and mental states, the hard problem remains: why is there subjective experience at all?
What is the "hard problem of consciousness" as described in the text?
Explaining how information is processed in the brain
Understanding why physical processes produce subjective experience
Determining which parts of the brain control vision
Measuring brain activity accurately
Correct Answer: B
Choice B is the correct answer. The text defines the problem as asking "why physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experience" and "why is there subjective experience at all?"
- Evidence: Why physical processes produce qualitative experience.
- Reasoning: It's about the existence of subjective experience, not mechanisms.
- Conclusion: The mystery of why experience exists defines the hard problem.
Choice A is incorrect because that's the "easy" problem neuroscience addresses. Choice C is incorrect because that's basic neuroscience, not the hard problem. Choice D is incorrect because measurement is technical, not philosophical.