1. Introduction

Consciousness is largely a mystery to man: we know next to nothing about its relationship to the physical world. In order to fathom and understand it, there are some obstacles which need to be overcome, that is, the metaphysical theories of consciousness, and the ‘hard’ problem of consciousness. Some of these obstacles cannot even be overcome. This book will endeavour to neutralize the philosophical problems with consciousness – by making assumptions – and clear the way for scientific research. In turn, the reader will leave with a clearer vision of what is consciousness research. You will understand that a scientific theory of consciousness is a mathematical relationship between a formal description of consciousness and a formal description of the physical world.