Four Conceptions of the Hard Problem of Consciousness

Though widely discussed, the hard problem of consciousness ('the hard problem' hereafter) is surprisingly difficult to pin down. In fact, one may see that not just a couple of plausible conceptions of the problem exist but rather four do. After providing some background for the hard problem, I present and clarify these four conceptions of it. I close by providing some key considerations for and against each of the four conceptions without passing final judgment on any of them. Ultimately, though, we do need to come to a resolution in so far as one is possible.