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person1990s-present

David Chalmers

Disciplines:
philosophy of mind
philosophy/philosophy of language
metaphysics

Summary

Australian philosopher best known for formulating the hard problem of consciousness and developing two-dimensional semantics as a tool in philosophy of mind.

Core Contribution

Introduced the hard problem of consciousness — the explanatory gap between physical processes and subjective experience — and extended 2D semantics to show that phenomenal concepts have a primary intension tracking experience and a secondary intension tracking physical realizers.

Key Spikes & Highlights

  • Insists the hard problem is not merely a scientific puzzle but a permanent explanatory gap that materialism cannot close without changing the subject.
  • Uses the conceivability of philosophical zombies — beings physically identical to us but with no inner experience — as a modal argument against physicalism.
  • Advocates panpsychism and russellian monism as serious responses to the hard problem, not just as fringe views.

Notable Works & Achievements

The Conscious Mind

The Character of Consciousness

Constructing the World

Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Philosophy of Mind

Historical Influences

Saul Kripke David Lewis Frank Jackson Gottlob Frege

Intellectual Lineage

Analytic Philosophy Philosophy of Mind Two-Dimensional Semantics

Contemporaries & Peers

Frank Jackson Hilary Putnam Robert Stalnaker Daniel Dennett

Minds Influenced

Frank Jackson Robert Stalnaker Andy Clark

Intellectual Posterity

Hard Problem of Consciousness Philosophical ZombiesTwo-Dimensional Semantics

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