From Andrew Whiteley, Consett, County Durham, UK
Terms like “emergent” and “complex” are often deployed as though they present a clear, simple explanation of mind and consciousness. In fact, we have no idea how, or if, mind arises from mindless material. Equally, to say consciousness is an emergent property of matter implies that this phenomenon is somehow already present in it. Consciousness may not require magic, but it is still highly mysterious (Letters, 10 February).
