Physicalism is the idea that all that exists is the physical world and nothing more. In terms of consciousness, this means that the experiences that humans have are entirely the result of the physical world, e.g. neurons firing. Physicalism implies that consciousness does not really exist, and that the way in which computer programs and humans make decisions is fundamentally the same (Van Gulick 1).

Some people, called identity theorists, deny that there is a problem at all (Marlow 1). For them, the mental and physical are one and the same.

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Critique of this theory

It could be argued that physicalism is a very simplistic view, specifically identity theory. Lack of complexity is attractive. If one is physicalist, only need to deal with the directly observable, which is comforting. Additionally, it provides hope for the future in terms of artifical intelligence, because it suggests that it is very possible for computers to become conscious.

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Citation

Marlow, Kristian. “What is Consciousness?” Psychology Today Sussex Publishers, 01 Mar. 2013. Web. 23 Nov. 2015.

Van Gulick, Robert. "Consciousness." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Ed. Edward N. Zalta. The Metaphysics Research Lab, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.