ABSTRACT
This chapter uses Thomas Nagel–s bat argument, David Chalmers–s zombie argument, and Frank Jackson–s knowledge argument to explore the explanatory gap and the hard problem of consciousness. The notion of a Laplacean demon and a priori scrutability is also used to explain the challenge of phenomenal consciousness. Two types of physicalist responses to these arguments are distinguished: Type-A physicalist responses and Type-B physicalist responses. Examples of Type-A responses that are discussed include David Lewis–s ability hypothesis; examples of Type-B responses that are discussed include the phenomenal concept strategy. Illusionist (eliminativist) accounts of consciousness of the kind defended by Daniel Dennett are also discussed, as are dualism, Russellian monism, panpsychism, and panprotopsychism.
