From Consciousness to God

Abstract Conscious states are characterized by their phenomenal feel; it is like something to experience pain, see the color red, or hear a particular sound. The version of the argument from consciousness that will be discussed in the present paper states that only theism, the postulation of a transcendent God, can explain why consciousness exists in the universe. The argument from consciousness thus takes the very existence of consciousness in the universe as a starting point and concludes that there is a transcendent God. First, a detailed description of AC is provided. Next, some problems with the argument from consciousness are pointed out, and the conclusion is that consciousness is most likely a brute fact—an unexplainable phenomenon that does not raise the probability of theism.