Mind-Matter Problem Solved!

There is no mind-matter problem in practice: we go with ease between the material world of things and the mental realm of ideas as we think about things and make things we think of (e.g., this abstract). Here we solve the attendant theoretical problem, i.e. we present a conceptual repertoire needed to develop a declarative understanding of conscious participation in the practice of everyday life. We begin with: res extensa vs. res cogitans, and the corresponding dual: change vs. unity. Next, we show how to objectify change, which accounts for the perceptual objectification of physical contrasts into people, things, and their peccadilloes populating our conscious experience. Change, in turn, is natural (or not-a-miracle), i.e., unity-respecting change. We find, in the light of our theory, that the effectiveness of mathematics---understood as the broad objective logic of qualities resulting from quantitative variations---in the natural sciences, which include social, psychological, biological, and physical, is reasonable. We conclude with an application of our theory: show how artificial intelligence (AI) can advance by bridging across the hitherto insurmountable schism: statistical vs. mathematical.