new mysterianism

noun

A philosophical position proposing that the hard problem of consciousness cannot be resolved by humans.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounnew mysterianism (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA philosophical position proposing that the hard problem of consciousness cannot be resolved by humans.

Origin

Owen Flanagan noted in his 1991 book Science of the Mind that some modern thinkers had suggested that consciousness might never be completely explained; he called these thinkers "the new mysterians" after the rock group Question Mark and the Mysterians.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

new mysterianism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/new%20mysterianism

MLA

“new mysterianism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/new%20mysterianism. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “new mysterianism,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/new%20mysterianism.

Source: new mysterianism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.