Timeline of David Chalmers' work on consciousness

This is a timeline of David Chalmers' work on consciousness.

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Year	Month and date	Event type	Details
1966	April 20		David John Chalmers is born in Sydney, Australia.
2014	July 14		In a TED Talk, David Chalmers explores the mystery of consciousness, stating that while it is a fundamental aspect of human existence, it remains the most mysterious phenomenon in the universe. Chalmers discusses the limitations of current scientific approaches, focusing on correlations between brain areas and states of consciousness. He proposes two radical ideas: first, that consciousness is fundamental, similar to space and time; second, that consciousness might be universal, present in all systems to varying degrees. Chalmers emphasizes the need for a deeper understanding of consciousness, envisioning fundamental laws governing its relationship with the physical world.
2016	July 18		Open science education project Serious Science publishes interview with David Chalmers delving into the age-old problem of skepticism, exploring the question of how we can be certain about the existence of the external world. He references René Descartes' thought experiment, highlighting the challenge of differentiating between reality and illusion. Chalmers introduces the modern Simulation Hypothesis, comparing it to the simulated world depicted in "The Matrix." He discusses philosopher Nick Bostrom's statistical argument that posits a high likelihood of living in a computer simulation. Chalmers proposes a perspective shift, suggesting that even if in a simulation, the perceived reality remains genuine, challenging traditional skeptical views. He emphasizes understanding the world's underlying structure, providing a potential solution to the fundamental challenge of knowing the external world.
2016	September 8		Serious Science publishes interview with David Chalmers exploring the profound question of whether it's possible to create artificial intelligence with genuine consciousness. Examining depictions in movies, he discusses the behavioral aspect of AI, acknowledging the potential for machines to simulate human-like behavior. However, the central philosophical query arises when contemplating if these machines will possess true consciousness—feeling emotions, perceiving colors, and having subjective experiences. Chalmers addresses skeptics' arguments that merely running a program does not grant understanding or consciousness, while proponents suggest emergent consciousness may arise from complex processes. He concludes that artificial consciousness is possible, raising ethical concerns about the moral rights of conscious AI systems and their potential societal implications, including the prospect of uploading human minds onto computers.
2017	?		Muehlhauser and Shlegeris build a simple computational model to test some ideas from Chalmers and Kammerer.
2019	April 2		In a Google talk, David Chalmers discusses the Meta-Problem of Consciousness. He introduces the "hard problem" of consciousness, concerned with explaining subjective experiences arising from physical processes. Chalmers differentiates between "easy problems" related to behavior and the challenging "hard problem" of subjective experience. The Meta-Problem of Consciousness focuses on explaining verbal reports expressing the difficulty of understanding consciousness. Chalmers presents it as a more manageable "easy problem" linked to behavior. He outlines a research program, exploring potential solutions, including an illusionist perspective treating consciousness as an illusion. Chalmers discusses the interdisciplinary study of problem intuitions about consciousness, proposing experimental psychology and philosophy. He explores solutions such as introspective models and phenomenal concepts, emphasizing the need for empirical testing. The talk covers a computational model generating problem intuitions about consciousness and its implications. Chalmers connects solving the Meta-Problem to addressing the hard problem, evaluating existing consciousness theories like Integrated Information Theory (IIT).
2020	January 29	Interview	David Chalmers is interviewed by Russian-American computer scientist and podcaster Lex Fridman in his Youtube podcast episode. The interview covers various topics such as the nature of reality, consciousness in virtual reality, music-color synesthesia, philosophical considerations on consciousness and the meaning of life, philosophical zombies, the illusion of consciousness, free will, the meta-problem of consciousness, the possibility of reality as an illusion, the relevance of consciousness for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), and discussions on exciting future developments and immortality.
2020	September 10		Jeffrey Kaplan discusses David Chalmers' Zombie Argument against physicalism. A "zombie" is a being identical to a human on a molecular level but lacks consciousness. Kaplan uses personal examples, emphasizing inconceivability of scenarios like a molecule-for-molecule leg copy without inherent issues. Chalmers' argument progresses: conceivability implies metaphysical possibility, and if zombies are metaphysically possible, consciousness is non-physical. The ultimate conclusion challenges physicalism, positing the existence of non-physical elements. Kaplan clarifies metaphysical possibility and relates it to divine creation. The Zombie Argument questions whether consciousness can be reduced to physical states.
2022	January 6	Interview	In an interview with David Marchese, David Chalmers explores the possibilities and implications of virtual reality. Chalmers suggests that virtual worlds can offer rich and valid experiences, challenging the notion that they are mere escapes. He emphasizes the potential for significant social and political engagement in virtual spaces, comparing it to establishing a new society in an uninhabited country. While acknowledging virtual worlds' limitations, such as the lack of unencumbered nature, Chalmers envisions a future where short-term obstacles are overcome. He dismisses the idea that advocating for virtual possibilities is nihilistic, urging consideration of both virtual and physical realities. Chalmers also delves into the concept of living in a simulation, discussing the challenges and philosophical implications, emphasizing the importance of consciousness in both biological and artificial systems. Despite occasional personal unease, Chalmers advocates normalizing the idea of simulations, drawing inspiration from the movie "Free Guy."

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