Living without microphysical supervenience

Abstract

e Doctrine of Microphysical Supervenience states that microphysical duplicates cannot differ in their intrinsic properties. According to Merricks (a, ), however, this thesis is false, since microphysical duplicates can differ with respect to the intrinsic property of consciousness. In my view, Merricks' argument is plausible, and extant attempts to reject it are problematic. However, the argument also threatens to make consciousness appear mysterious, by implying that consciousness facts fail to be microphysically determined and that there can be brute and inexplicable differences in consciousness between material things. e paper therefore develops an account that can respect the soundness of Merricks' argument while avoiding these problematic consequences. At the heart of the proposal is the idea that consciousness can be microphysically grounded despite failing to microphysical supervene. e proposed view also has the interesting consequence that consciousness is an intrinsic property despite depending on extrinsic factors for its instantiation.

The Taming of the Grounds

“…4), deRosset (2011), Crane (2012), Sutton (2012), Korman (2015, sec. 11.3), Saenz (2015), and Moran (2022).…”

“… 15 The principles I am about to discuss resemble Fix in certain important ways. I have already mentioned, in 10, another principle that is somewhat like Fix (Rosen 2015, 198–99; Moran 2022, 413). There are also principles that, though rather different from Fix, are like it in that the “innards” or “content” of the facts matter; like Fix, they are principles that are sensitive to what goes on “inside” the facts doing the explaining or being explained.…”

“…4), deRosset (2011,Crane (2012),Sutton (2012),Korman (2015, sec. 11.3), Saenz (2015, andMoran (2022).13 Notice that the grounding problem does not obviously arise for things that do not have the same grounds (in the person and animal case, same microstructure, surroundings, and evolutionary history). There is no grounding problem between me and the computer I am writing on.…”