Is Consciousness Irreducible? | Colin McGinn

Why is consciousness so contentious? Neuroscience can increasingly explain many facets of consciousness, but what about conscious awareness itself? Some philosophers claim that although facets of consciousness—such as how we see edges or colors—can be explained, we have no possibility of explaining, in purely physical terms, the experience of consciousness.

Colin McGinn is a British philosopher who has held teaching posts and professorships at University College London, the University of Oxford, Rutgers University, and the University of Miami.