A Discussion of Theoretical Solutions to the Hard Problem of Consciousness

The problem of explaining subjectivity or sentience scientifically has been coined the Hard Problem of Consciousness'. Some postulate that an explanation is impossible with methods from contemporary cognitive science. In this paper, I select three of the most influential theories of consciousness based on a literature survey, and ask whether their respective theoretical solutions to the Hard Problem are supported by empirical evidence from research on visual consciousness, and more broadly whether empirical evidence favours the any of these approaches. I argue that the evidence does not warrant a conclusion, but that it favours viewing consciousness as an emergent property of global access/global neuronal networks rather than dependent upon specific brain areas