Explaining phenomenal consciousness. Does conceivability entail possibility?

Explaining phenomenal consciousness may very well be the scientific and philosophical problem of our age. There is a conceptual tension which makes the task of giving a unitary explanation to the mind and to the physical world one of the most persistent and intriguing enigma. The predominant outlook about the natural world is of a physical kind. However, the mind and especially the conscious subjective experience do not seem to fit within this naturalist and physicalist explanation. It appears that we are caught in a dilemma, for we either stick to a physicalist explanation, or else we should figure out a dramatic change of our conception about the natural world. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.