## TL;DR

Philosophy of mind examines the nature of consciousness, mental states, and the mind-body relationship. Positions: dualism (Descartes: mind and body separate), physicalism (mind = brain), functionalism (mental states = functional roles), panpsychism (consciousness is fundamental). The 'hard problem' (Chalmers): why does physical processing produce subjective experience?

## Core Explanation

Mary's Room thought experiment (Jackson, 1982): Mary knows all physical facts about color but has never seen it — does she learn something new when she first sees red? Chinese Room (Searle, 1980): person following instructions manipulates Chinese symbols — understands nothing. Qualia: subjective qualities of experience (the redness of red). Integrated Information Theory (Tononi): consciousness = integrated information (Φ). 'I think, therefore I am' (Descartes, 1641).

## Further Reading

- [Consciousness Explained (Daniel Dennett)](https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/daniel-c-dennett/consciousness-explained/9780316180658/)