Barry Loewer and Tim O’Connor

Barry Loewer (left) and Tim O’Connor (right) on emergence, quantum mechanics, and consciousness.

O’Connor defends, and Loewer opposes, strong emergentism: the view that there are properties and laws beyond those which can be captured by any fundamental physical theory. After clarifying their positions, they discuss (starting at 30:01) whether quantum mechanics supports or undermines O’Connor’s view. Then (starting at 43:27) they turn to phenomena of consciousness, and consider whether the immediacy and simplicity of conscious experience provide evidence of strong emergence.

Production note: We apologize for an audio-video sync issue that appears on Loewer’s side.

Related works

by Loewer:

“Why Is There Anything Except Physics?” (2009)

Edited (with Carl Gillett): Physicalism and its Discontents (2007)

by O’Connor:

Edited (with Antonella Corradini): Emergence in Science and Philosophy (2010)

with John Ross Churchill: “Nonreductive Physicalism or Emergent Dualism?” (2008)

Persons and Causes: The Metaphysics of Free Will (2000)

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