Sonia Micu-The Derivability Gap – A Problem of Intuitions

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The Derivability Gap – A Problem of Intuitions

Sonia Micu

 

Romanian Journal of Analytic Philosophy, 2022, Vol XVI, Issue 2, pp. 67-82, DOI: https://doi.org/10.62229/rrfaxvi-2/4

Published: 6 June, 2025  Download Pdf

Cite as:   Micu, Sonia: The Derivability Gap – A Problem of Intuitions. In: Romanian Journal of Analytic Philosophy, vol. 16, iss. 2, pp. 67-82, 2025, ISSN: 1843-9969.

 

Abstract: This paper addresses our difficulty in grasping how something like consciousness could emerge from the processes of our brain, aiming to explain the intuitions that underlie this struggle. I start with an investigation of materialism, revealing that its supporters often have deep-seated dualist intuitions implicitin some of the language they use. I then question whether we can warrant the claim that conscious experience is fundamentally different from non-conscious phenomena with respect to causal powers and causal roles. I identify the derivability gap as the reason behind our intuitive struggles, explaining how these intuitions make it difficult to accept a materialist view of consciousness. Lastly, I explain why we hold onto these intuitions. Instead of seeking a socio-cultural origin for our dualist intuitions about the mind-body problem, I suggest we examine our intuitive grasp of the physical world, arguing that our tendency to see things in binary on/off forms extends beyond our grasp of consciousness. I propose that we consider whether the same simplifying principle that aids our understanding of unobservables might also influence how we conceive consciousness. I conclude that our lack of direct exposure to its complexity may underlie our binary understanding of life and non-life, which we extend to the contrast between material and non-material.

Keywords: Consciousness; Hard Problem; Explanatory Gap; Derivability Gap; Illusionism; Meta-Problem

 

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