Hard Problem of the Soul

The difficulty in defining the soul as a distinct, non-physical entity that is the seat of identity and consciousness, and then explaining how this immaterial "thing" interacts with the material brain. How does an ethereal soul without mass or energy cause neurons to fire (the mind-body problem on steroids)? If it doesn't interact, it's irrelevant. If it does, it should be detectable. The soul often ends up defined only by what it is not—not physical, not mortal—leaving its positive qualities mysterious.

Example: "The neurosurgeon said personality changes with brain injury. The priest said the soul is immutable. The hard problem of the soul: if 'I' am my soul, why does a clot in my frontal lobe turn 'me' from a saint into a jerk? Either the soul is mysteriously tied to meat, or 'I' am just the meat. Both answers are unsettling."

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Hard Problem of the Spirit

Often used interchangeably with "soul," but can imply a less personal, more universal or energetic essence. The hard problem here is similar: what is its substance? Is it a field? A vibration? A form of information? And how does this universal "spirit" give rise to individual, bounded consciousness? It risks becoming a vague, all-explaining metaphysical ether that, by explaining everything, explains nothing in a testable way.

Example: "She said she was 'raising her spiritual vibration.' The hard problem of spirit: what is 'vibrating,' and what instrument could measure it? If it's just a metaphor for a positive mindset, call it that. If it's a real energy, point to the gauge. The term floats in a realm between poetry and physics, accountable to neither." Hard Problem of the Spirit

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Hard Problem of Ghosts

If ghosts are the consciousness or energy of the deceased, what laws of physics do they obey? They are reported to pass through walls (insubstantial) but also make footsteps and move objects (substantial). They are visible to some but not others. This contradictory set of properties makes them impossible to model consistently. Are they psychic projections, interdimensional echoes, or simply stories? Any coherent theory of ghosts would require a radical rewrite of physics, yet the anecdotes persist.

Example: "The ghost was seen by three people but didn't show on thermal or EM. It could float but also slam a door. The hard problem of ghosts: constructing a single hypothesis that explains how an entity can be both massless and capable of kinetic energy, visible to organic eyes but invisible to sensors. It's like a bug report that breaks every known law of the universe's operating system."

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Hard Problem of the Multiverse

The philosophical sting in the tail of many cosmological theories: if an infinite or near-infinite number of parallel universes exist where every possibility is realized, then any extraordinary claim (ghosts, psychic powers, biblical miracles) could be explained by "bleed-through" from another branch. This makes the theory potentially unfalsifiable and vacuously explanatory. The multiverse can become a "science-y" dumping ground for any anomaly, undermining the very basis of empirical science in this universe.

Example: "He explained his precognitive dream by citing the multiverse: 'I tapped into a timeline where it already happened.' The hard problem of the multiverse is that it's the ultimate escape hatch. Any weird event can be hand-waved away as 'quantum branching' or 'brane collision,' making it not a scientific theory but a metaphysical get-out-of-jail-free card for unexplained phenomena."

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Hard Problem of N-Dimensionality

The cognitive barrier in understanding or proving the existence of spatial dimensions beyond our 3D perception. We can describe them mathematically, but cannot visualize or directly experience them. Any purported evidence of higher dimensions (like unexplained forces or entities) is necessarily filtered through our 3D senses and instruments, meaning it will always appear as a mysterious anomaly within our known physics, not as clear proof of "other dimensions." The gap between the math and the manifest experience is unbridgeable.

*Example: "The mystic said he perceived 4D shapes during meditation. The hard problem of N-Dimensionality: any description he gives will be a 3D shadow or metaphor ('it was like a constantly turning inside-out cube'). We have no language or sensorium for the real thing. Proof is impossible, because any evidence would, by definition, manifest within our dimensional prison."*

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Concept Problem of Pseudoscience

The philosophical and practical dead-end that arises from defining any system of thought primarily by what it is not—namely, "not science." This critique argues that the label "pseudoscience" is often an empty, authoritarian slur used not for genuine epistemological analysis, but to enforce a naive scientism that treats science as an infallible priesthood regulating truth and morality. The real issue isn't whether something is "not science" (philosophy, art, and religion aren't science either), but whether a system fails on its own terms while parasitically mimicking the superficial structure of scientific discourse. True "pseudoscience" is characterized by internal contradiction, resistance to correction, and a failure to describe reality, all while cosplaying as science to borrow unearned authority. The "Concept Problem" exposes that attacking something for "not being science" is as meaningless as calling an elephant a "pseudo-hippopotamus"; it's a negative, power-based definition that reveals more about the labeler's ideological rigidity than the target's substantive flaws.

Example: "Calling astrology 'pseudoscience' runs into the Concept Problem. Astrology hasn't claimed to be a natural science for centuries; it's a symbolic system. The real pseudoscience is a flat-earth video that uses sciency-looking graphs and jargon to 'debunk' NASA, while ignoring its own internal contradictions and evidence. The first is 'not-science,' the second is anti-science disguised as science—and conflating the two just turns 'pseudoscience' into a thought-terminating cliché for anything outside the current dogma." Concept Problem of Pseudoscience

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026

Limit Problem of Pseudoscience

The epistemological crisis that occurs when the rigid, methodological boundaries of science are used to dismiss phenomena or entire domains of inquiry (like paranormality, supernaturality, astral projection, mediumship, or claims of an afterlife) not because they have been conclusively disproven, but because they inherently resist or exist outside the standardized tools of verification. The "limit" is the edge of science's operational domain. This problem highlights the danger of conflating "unexplained by current science" with "false" or "meaningless." When parapsychology investigates psi phenomena, or when narratives of reincarnation present veridical memories, the pseudoscience label is often applied not due to a failure of internal coherence within those claims, but due to their violation of materialist assumptions or their reliance on non-repeatable, subjective experience. This creates a catch-22: the phenomena, by their purported nature, evade the controlled, reproducible experiment—the very benchmark used to declare them pseudoscientific. Thus, the label can become a circular defense of the scientific paradigm's limits, rather than a fair assessment of the claims' substantive truth or falsehood.

Example: "A medium provides specific, verified details about a deceased person unknown to her. The skeptic invokes the Limit Problem of Pseudoscience: he can't explain it, so he labels it 'pseudoscience' and cites a lack of lab replication. But the phenomenon—if real—might be rare, personal, and context-dependent, inherently fleeing the laboratory setting. The 'pseudoscience' accusation here doesn't address the anomaly; it protects science from having to expand its methods to account for messy, singular experiences that haunt its borders."

by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026