What Is It Like to Be a Physicalist?:

A Critical Review of Takayuki Suzuki’s Why Do We Feel Pain and Sorrow If We Are Just a Bunch of Atoms?

Abstract

    In his recent book, Takayuki Suzuki proposes a novel physicalist solution toward the hard problem of consciousness, wherein the representationalist analysis of qualia is advanced via incorporating the intrinsic notion of representation. In this review, I critically examine the metaphysical character of his resultant position and present some questions on to what extent it satisfies the core theses of physicalism. The moral to be drawn is the significant tension between physicalism and the phenomenal principle, whose endorsement could misdirect us into troublesome positions in an unexpected manner.