Ethan Siegel, there is physics, and there is Earth.

Also published at Medium.com.  Come on down for some discussion.

Earthrise  (wiki)

On May 21st, Ethan Siegel published an article titled with a question, a challenge. “Does physics truly have anything to say about consciousness?”

I want to offer a qualified loud and clear no!

Physics is about physics. Physics operates under exacting natural laws, that we can track via mathematics.

Where is there any need for a choice when puzzling over a differential equation? It’s all about following rules and where they take us.

Beyond physics?

What could be beyond physics you ask?

Think about it, … there is physics and there is Earth !

What’s so special about Earth? Stop to ponder your response.

Here’s mine,

Behold Earth, where: Chemistry + geology + harnessing electricity + deep time = biology > Life > creatures > complex creatures > self-reflecting minds.

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Mother Earth

Professor Massimo Pigliucci asks: “What Hard Problem?”

 

I also published this at medium.com, July 8, 2025

Recently I published a short article at Medium.org questioning David Chalmers’ so-called hard problem of consciousness and a commenter took me to task.

Unfortunately he chose not to engage with my response, which is what usually happens. The heart of his complaint reads:

HS commented: “…But an organism still has to utilize the equipment available in its universe and how molecules or physical forces create consciousness is not explained just because, for example, a neuron has come to be.

Get it? It is still a hard problem. There has to be something inherent to that universe with the potential to create consciousness. …”

No. I don’t get it.

The universe is about as distal from down to Earth reality, as we can get. For me, the really hard problem is why does this sort of philosophizing get away with ignoring the realities of our evolutionary biological origins down here on Earth?

So, in an attempt to better clarify my previous article. I want to share from Professor Massimo Pigliucci’s short essay (©2013) in philosophynow.org. The essay asks: “What Hard Problem?” — and I believe it provides a perfect vehicle for constructively pushing back.

Airing-out David Chalmers Problem.

I also published this at medium.com, July 2, 2025

I come at these deep questions about human consciousness and origins from a biological bottom-up, evolutionary perspective.

One that, I believe, receives way too little attention. Especially in light of the past couple decades of amazing biological breakthroughs in understanding further layers of detail within our body/brain’s folds within folds of harmonic, cumulative, complexity.

From my Earth Centrist perspective Chalmers’ words personify human hubris and a curious tendency to expect Nature to prove itself to us.  Evolution has plenty to teach us about consciousness, why turn the philosophical cold shoulder to it?

As for me, my goal has been a graspable down to Earth understanding of mind, along with who I am, based on solid biology, evolutionary, scientific understanding along with a healthy appreciation for my animal nature and the Human Mind ~ Physical Reality divide.

Here I share representative quotes from David Chalmers and reflect on the blindspots. Then I invite critique and discussion. This is about a learning.

From: The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory ― David J. Chalmers

Chalmers: “There is nothing we know about more directly than consciousness, but it is far from clear how to reconcile it with everything else we know.

Why does (consciousness) exist?"

From within a biological bottom-up, evolutionary perspective, levels of consciousness exist because creatures had to differentiate between inside and outside; Creatures needed to develop ways to find and absorb good things; then to lock out bad things; and also to excrete bad things; while keeping good things within.

Learning how to recognize and maintain dynamic balance has been a life or death challenge since the beginnings of life itself.

Some form of internal awareness~consciousness has been a prerequisite for survival since the dawn of complex single cells — even more, as complex organisms evolved.

Dear DNC Fundraisers, take a break.

Please realize your relentless deluge of fund raising texts - filled with melodramatic to hysterical messaging - is counter-productive.   

If the Democratic Party isn't changing minds, we are losing!  

DNC needs to inform, engage, and motive us!  These constant texts do nothing but irritate and worse - they drive people away because we are tapped out.  Instead, why not help us regular grassroots people network with likeminded Democrats to raise awareness.  Let's recapture the sense of the community spirit that once fueled our democracy.

We need substantive helpful information and connection building. 

A suggestion: Why not a private Democratic online discussion forum.  

To every thing, turn, turn. Who am I?

After more than six years of chewing on it, I’m looking forward to demoting my “Who Am I?” project to the way back burner and starting in on another one who's time has come. 

This Stephen Gould’s Missing Key, morphed into Is Belief In God Rational?, morphed into Who Am I? project was edifying and humbling, and yeah, I’m afraid disappointing.  I’m a born and bred child of the intellectual enlightenment, with engaged discussion in my DNA.  Seems that I may belong in a different world and time and with goals that make no sense to the current implosion into that MAGA, me, me, me, dog eat dog reality making the rounds.  

Thing is, I grew up in a home with table talk, and magazines like Popular Science and Popular Mechanics, National Geographic, two encyclopedia sets, the big Webster Dictionary that needed it’s own stand, plus …, all that in a narrow ground level Chicago apartment with eclectic parents who were curious about the world, plus two sisters, an older brother with an engineer’s mind, turned jet engine mechanic and ultimately retiring as 737 pilot.  But, I digress.  

After my latest frustrating round with the philosophy club, I’m sharing an email I sent to an eminent neuroscientist that I swapped some emails with a couple years back.  I’m sharing his response followed by some more explanatory notes.  

The Democratic Party online Forum. To help inform and build community. It's worth a try.

Democratic Party leaders how will you start reconnecting with alienated voters whose budgets won’t allow for constant political donations?

Oh if wishes were horses and I had tons of money, then someone at Democratic headquarters would listen to this suggestion.  We could talk it around until a big wig decides to take the idea for themself and make it happen. Politics at its best.
Now it’s the proverbial, … never mind.  Now, if you think it's a good idea, pass it along.

DNC’s never ending assault of political donation demands have become counter productive. We need ideas and community and encouragement.

What’s worse is the melodrama, rarely do those Democrat texts communicate any constructive information or reason to engage.

We need substantive helpful information. We need something with teeth that engages. 

One suggestion, why not a private Democratic online discussion forum.  The DNC could communicate directly with interested voters; create a platform to inform, engage, motivate and help us network directly with likeminded.

Give us something to help build a little tangible feelings of solidarity.

"I Am, Therefore I Think" - A scientific reality. What does it mean? (a dialogue)

 

I received the following constructive response to some of my thoughts and have decided to share this latest effort to clarify my Earth Centrist perspective. 

Hi, Peter,

Many theists believe in evolution, viewing it as god’s means of creating humans, so evolution is a bit of a red herring in this debate.  We do have the concept of god in our minds, but that tells us nothing about whether there is a god or not.  We have the concepts of trees and unicorns; the former exist, the latter don’t.  We need further argumentation to make a case for or against god’s existence.

Regards,

Thank you for responding and engaging with my ideas.  

Your note invites some clarification.

This isn’t about lip service to evolution.

This is about our relationship with the thoughts we possess.

This is about taking Descartes' (pre-scientific) reduction of what we can known about the human condition, which he boiled down to: "I Think, Therefore I Am” - to a modern scientifically informed reduction of our actual human condition: "I Am, Therefore I Think."

We are evolved biological sensing creatures, product of a half billion years of Earth’s evolution - what that tells us is that our mind is produced by our body/brain interacting with the world.  (Solms, Damasio, Sapolsky, etc.)

This brings us to a realization that it isn't a question of whether Gods are real or not. 

It is about appreciating that God's are the product of our own human thoughts.

Meta-physical figments within our minds - outside the realm of physical world.

You write: "We do have the concept of god in our minds" - but that is exactly what begs the question: "How does an assumption of God become a Being of God?"