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Let me tell you about my forthcoming book, "Life, the Universe and Consciousness" ... /1
Scientists face numerous problems when seeking to explain the world we live in, not least of which is the so-called Hard Problem of Consciousness - the questions of how and why our material brains create conscious experience /2
The Hard Problem is said to be & #39;intractable& #39; - beyond our ability to even agree on what an acceptable solution might look like.
But this is not the only intractable problem... /3
But this is not the only intractable problem... /3
There is the problem of explaining how consciousness evolved. There& #39;s the problem of how and where to draw the line between which animals are conscious and those that are not. And then there& #39;s that challenge of saying how it is we can have free-will in a deterministic universe /4
There is the problem of interpreting Quantum Mechanics; there& #39;s the challenge of reconciling Quantum Mechanics with General Relativity; there& #39;s the question of what caused the Big Bang; and there& #39;s the problem of why the Laws of Nature appear so perfectly tuned for Life. /5
And then there are the problems of Life itself, including the challenge of saying How Life began, as well as the key question of What Life is - something which scientists have surprisingly been unable to answer, so far /6
In all, there are 12 distinct intractable problems concerned with Life, the Universe and Consciousness, each of which I set out to solve in my book. "But why seek to solve all 12 problems within one book?", I hear you ask. "Doesn& #39;t each problem deserve a book of its own?" /7
The reason is that the problems are linked, in that they all arise from the same underlying scientific beliefs - beliefs which must be challenged, if we are ever to find our solutions. In short, you can& #39;t solve any one problem satisfactorily without solving all twelve. /8
Over the next 12 days, I will tweet a summary of each problem and say a few words about why it is so hard to solve. If anyone would like to reply with their proposed solutions, I will happily say whether it is right or wrong :) /9
And, I promise to send a free copy of my book to the first person to offer what I judge to be the right answer to any one question.
Good luck :) /10
Good luck :) /10
