mysterian

philosophy

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July 16, 2026

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The term "mysterian" in philosophy refers to a position on the nature of consciousness. Mysterians argue that while consciousness is a physical phenomenon, likely arising from the brain, it is fundamentally beyond human comprehension. They believe that our current conceptual tools are insufficient to explain how subjective experiences emerge from material processes. This contrasts with philosophers who attempt to provide materialist explanations for consciousness or those who hold dualist views. The core of the mysterian stance is that the "hard problem of consciousness" is not a problem to be solved with more scientific data or refined theories, but rather a limit of human understanding.1

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Cartesianism
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…of thinkers, known as “mysterians,” who claim that, although we know that the conscious mind is nothing more than the brain, it is simply beyond the conceptual apparatus of human beings to understand how this can be the case. Other philosophers, such as Daniel Dennett and Paul Churchland, have…
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…of thinkers, known as “mysterians,” who claim that, although we know that the conscious mind is nothing more than the brain, it is simply beyond the conceptual apparatus of human beings to understand how this can be the case. Other philosophers, such as Daniel Dennett and Paul Churchland, have…
Read More