David Chalmers: Beyond the Hard Problem
David Chalmers (b. 1966) is a prominent figure in contemporary philosophy of mind best known for formulating the hard problem of consciousness, the challenge of explaining why and how physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experience.
Chalmers initially proposed a naturalistic dualism, arguing that consciousness is a fundamental property of the universe, irreducible to and distinct from physical properties, arising alongside physical properties in the brain. As such, he proposed two distinct fundamentals: the physical and the phenomenal. However, after grappling with the difficulties inherent in any form of dualism, like how distinct properties relate or interact, Chalmers has increasingly explored monistic alternatives that still take consciousness seriously. His recent work has moved towards a position characterized as dual-aspect monism grounded in the concept of information.
Chalmers suggests that information is fundamental to reality. This fundamental information has two inseparable aspects: a physical aspect of structure, processing, and causality, which is objectively describable, and a phenomenal aspect of subjectivity. The underlying reality isn't just physical stuff, nor is it just pure consciousness, but something more fundamental, perhaps proto-conscious properties or information itself, presented in two aspects. When this fundamental information is processed in complex ways, such as in a brain, the conscious aspect manifests as subjective experience while the physical aspect manifests as the observable biological system.
So how does Chalmers’ philosophy square with the nondual understanding?
Points of Agreement:
Rejection of fundamental dualism: The most apparent similarity is the rejection of mind-body dualism as the ultimate nature of reality. Both Chalmers and the nondual understanding assert that the perceived split between inner experience and the outer physical world is not a reflection of two ultimately separate kinds of substance.
Underlying unity: Both frameworks assert a single, underlying reality from which the apparent duality of mental and physical phenomena arises. For Chalmers, this is the fundamental information or proto-psychic substratum, a rudimentary form of consciousness in capacity or potential. As we explore here, it is thought and perception that draws this potential out into manifestation, creating appearances in the world of form.
Consciousness is fundamental: Both agree that consciousness is not a byproduct of the brain or merely an illusion. Chalmers, however, argues that consciousness is a fundamental aspect of reality while the nondual view suggests that consciousness is the fundamental reality.
Aspects/appearances: Both views suggest that the mental and physical are not independent realities but different ways the underlying reality presents itself. Chalmers calls them aspects. For Schopenhauer, its Representation. For Spinoza, its Extension. Here we often say appearances. It’s all the same thing.
Points of Divergence:
The nature of the underlying reality: Chalmers' underlying reality is often described abstractly in terms of information or proto-conscious properties that give rise to both physics and phenomenal experience. While it's the ground, it's not typically identified as pure, aware consciousness itself in the way we identify it here. Nonduality points to the ultimate reality as conscious, self-aware being (the verb), not a potential or structural ground for consciousness to emerge from.
The status of physical reality: In Chalmers' dual-aspect view, the physical aspect is a fundamental way the underlying reality exists, seemingly co-equal with the conscious aspect. Physical reality, as structure and process, is a genuine face of the fundamental. According to the nondual understanding, while the physical world is a real experience or appearance, its reality is considered relative and dependent compared to the ultimate reality of consciousness. The world is the appearance of consciousness, not a fundamental, irreducible aspect in and of itself.
Methodology and goal: Chalmers' approach is primarily analytical and philosophical, seeking to construct a coherent metaphysical theory that accommodates both physical and conscious data. The goal of the theory is to understand the structure of reality. Nonduality emphasizes direct, non-conceptual realization through conscious awareness. The goal here is experiential and simple—to rest consciously as awareness.
From a nondual perspective, Chalmers' philosophy can be seen as a rigorous contemporary Western intellectual framework that arrives at conclusions compatible with nondual ontology. His identification of consciousness as fundamental, his rejection of materialism's reductionism, and his move towards a monistic, dual-aspect view align with the nondual perspective of reality.
However, Chalmers' description of the underlying reality—information, proto-conscious—is still describing the structure of the manifested realm or the bridge to it, rather than the unmanifest absolute ground itself. Or, if it is describing the ground, it is doing so in terms that are still abstract and structural, whereas the nondual realization points to the ineffable, self-aware being that precedes or underlies all structure and information.
David Chalmers' exploration of dual-aspect monism offers a sophisticated way to honor both the physical world and subjective experience within a unified framework. While the precise nature of his proposed underlying reality and his analytical methodology differ from the experiential path, his argument against reductive materialism and his conclusion that reality is fundamentally unified with consciousness is in line with the nondual view.