From the "Philosophical Parables" column:

Once upon a time, Chalmers solved the hard problem of consciousness.

He demonstrated his solution at a recent conference on the subject.
Chalmers pulled a blank sheet of white paper from his pocket and showed it to the audience. Applause broke out, nearly escalating into a standing ovation. In any case, someone in attendance stood up while clapping.

With gestures, Chalmers motioned for quiet, took a pen out of his pocket, and wrote on the sheet: "The Hard Problem of Consciousness." Then he turned the paper over and wrote on the back: "The Easy Problem of Consciousness."

"What is written here?" Chalmers asked, holding the paper up in the air.

"The hard problem!" the hall boomed back.

"And now?" Chalmers flipped the sheet.

"The easy problem!"

As Chalmers kept flipping the piece of paper back and forth, the atmosphere in the hall began to heat up.

"Is this like the chicken and the egg?" someone shouted out.

"Yes, but which here is the chicken, and which is the egg?" Chalmers countered.

"The hard problem is the egg," a woman in the front row said with conviction.

"And why not the chicken?"

With those words, Chalmers set the paper on fire, intending to turn it to ash. But he handled it awkwardly and burned himself as a result.

And right then, everyone realized that all life is suffering.

#philosophicalparables