Knowledge Tree
physical laws
Also known as: laws of physics, physical law
Facts (23)
Sources
The Hard Problem of Consciousness | Springer Nature Link link.springer.com 4 facts
claimA non-reductive naturalistic theory of consciousness may propose natural supervenience of phenomenal properties on physical properties, provided it incorporates additional natural principles not found in physical law.
claimThe correlation between microphenomenal and microphysical processes requires a contingent principle not entailed in standard physical law.
claimDavid Chalmers argues that while neuroscience suggests a lawful relationship between physical processes and conscious experience, these represent two irreducible ontic categories, meaning the responsible natural law cannot be entailed by physical law alone.
claimDavid Chalmers argues that physics emerges from the relations between entities, while consciousness emerges from their intrinsic nature, a view he claims is compatible with the causal closure of the microphysical and existing physical laws. He asserts that (proto)phenomenal properties serve as the ultimate categorical basis of all physical causation.
Non-physicalist Theories of Consciousness cambridge.org Dec 20, 2023 4 facts
perspectiveMost philosophers find overdetermination dualism implausible because it is inexplicable why conscious states would systematically and without exception cause the exact same effects as the physical states they are correlated with, as there is no reason to expect psychophysical laws to mirror physical laws in this way.
referenceYetter-Chappell, Goldschmidt, and Pearce (2017) suggest that fundamental mental laws could potentially explain the regularities of perceptions, arguing this would be no more inexplicable than fundamental physical laws.
claimInteractionist dualism is ruled out by the broad version of the principle of physical causal closure because interactionist dualism claims that some physical events, such as human behavior, require explanation through fundamental psychophysical laws rather than physical laws.
claimMental laws coordinating perceptions would be highly complicated compared to physical laws because human-type experiences are countless, whereas physics currently posits only about seventeen fundamental particles.
Dualism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy/Winter 2016 Edition) plato.stanford.edu Aug 19, 2003 3 facts
claimIf physical laws are indeterministic, as quantum theory suggests, it might be possible for mental interference to produce a result with a probability greater than zero, thereby maintaining consistency with physical laws while allowing for interaction.
perspectiveThe author argues that Frank Jackson's analogy of evolutionary by-products fails for mental states because the laws of physics governing brain states do not explain why those brain states produce conscious experiences.
claimHerbert Feigl (1958) defines 'nomological danglers' as brute facts that are added to the body of integrated physical law, specifically referring to the laws linking mind and brain.
Panpsychism - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 2 facts
perspectiveDavid Chalmers has written that if a theory of everything is discovered, it will consist of 'psychophysical laws' rather than just physical laws.
referenceIn the book 'The Conscious Mind' (1996), David Chalmers concludes that consciousness is irreducible to lower-level physical facts, similar to how fundamental laws of physics are irreducible to lower-level physical facts.
Neuro-Symbolic AI: Explainability, Challenges, and Future Trends arxiv.org Nov 7, 2024 1 fact
claimMathematics and physical laws serve as correct standards for logic, whereas human common-sense logic often contains contradictions and logical fallacies.
Panpsychism - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy plato.stanford.edu Jul 18, 2017 1 fact
claimBénard convection cells illustrate how physical laws governing surface tension, viscosity, and molecular motion explain the emergence of hexagonal patterns in heated fluids.
Panpsychism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy/Fall 2025 Edition) plato.stanford.edu May 23, 2001 1 fact
claimPhilip Goff (2019) developed a form of cosmopsychism where the universe is a value-responding agent to explain the fine-tuning of physical laws for life.
Quantum mechanics and the puzzle of human consciousness alleninstitute.org May 30, 2024 1 fact
quoteChristof Koch stated: "Anything that isn’t ruled out by the laws of physics can be exploited by evolution. Evolution is very clever and has had the entire planet to play with for 4.5 billion years, so it’s possible."
Non-Reductive Physicalism - Theories of Consciousness theoriesofconsciousness.com 1 fact
claimDownward causation is the theory that mental states can causally influence physical states without violating physical laws.
Critique of Panpsychism: Philosophical Coherence and Scientific ... thequran.love May 7, 2025 1 fact
claimSome philosophers argue that consciousness is causally irrelevant because physical laws are complete, meaning the consciousness aspect does not change physical outcomes.
The Conscious Mind - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 1 fact
perspectiveDavid Chalmers rejects materialism but embraces naturalism, meaning he believes reality is governed in full by fundamental laws of nature rather than exclusively by the laws of physics.
Moving Forward on the Problem of Consciousness - David Chalmers consc.net 1 fact
claimWarner argues that psychophysical laws must interfere with physical laws because they entail violations of physical conservation laws.
Hard Problem of Consciousness | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy iep.utm.edu 1 fact
perspectiveJoseph Levine asserts that consciousness presents an explanatory gap because, even with a complete specification of brain mechanisms and physical laws, it remains an open question whether consciousness is present.
Consciousness (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy/Fall 2025 ... plato.stanford.edu Jun 18, 2004 1 fact
perspectiveRobert Kirk (1970) and David Chalmers (1996) assert that 'zombies' (beings identical to humans but lacking qualia) are possible in worlds that share all our physical laws, while Daniel Dennett (1991) and Joseph Levine (2001) deny this possibility.