It’s tempting to assimilate consciousness to energy since energy seems more intangible than matter. But energy in the physical sense is just the ability to do work. Equating consciousness with energy would entail panpsychism, since the ability to do work is everywhere. Evidently, the brain and its sensors are needed to channel that ability into a subjective viewpoint. But even that could give us just a computer or a zombie that isn’t conscious.

Granted, consciousness is an ability to do work since consciousness can motivate the brain and the body to act. But as strange as energy may be, it’s not strange enough for consciousness.

Cognitive science helps explain the function of consciousness and how it’s organized in the mind, but arguably this science begs the question raised by the hard problem of consciousness, that of explaining qualia, since cognitive science objectifies its subject matter.

I have another take on consciousness coming out next week, which may shed more light on what we’re dealing with here.