MENTAL MODEL · M4429

The Explanatory Gap

TechnicalHigh supportNeuroscience

Included

Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Even if we fully understand the brain's physical processes, we still cannot explain how subjective experience arises from objective physical facts. There is an unbridgeable gap between physical descriptions and experiential descriptions.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

It reveals the limitations of reductionism. It shows that even if we map the complete neural atlas, we may still be unable to answer 'why does it feel like this?' This provides motivation for non-reductionist approaches to consciousness.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Physical facts (neural firings, functional roles) and phenomenal facts ('what it feels like') belong to different levels of description; the former can be correlated with the latter but cannot logically entail them, leaving an explanatory gap. This is the core of the 'hard problem of consciousness'.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Practice this model in one real situation:

First, distinguish functional explanations from phenomenal explanations. Second, identify the point in the argument where it jumps from the physical to the felt. Third, use the gap to test whether any reductionist explanation truly 'explains' rather than 'restates'.

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Source support: Explicit

link
zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%A7%A3%E9%87%8A%E9%B8%BF%E6%B2%9FZH · Explicit
verified

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