It is time to give up the dualism introduced by the debate on consciousness

A Hacker News discussion argues that consciousness and qualia should be treated as testable natural phenomena, not untouchable mysteries.

The thread challenges the idea of an “explanatory gap,” comparing consciousness to other measurable properties in science.

A key question is whether machines that report pain or awareness can be externally tested for those claims.

The debate pushes AI and mind research toward observable criteria for consciousness and suffering, rather than pure philosophy.