  The hard problem in consciousness is the problem of understanding how
physical processes in the brain could give rise to subjective conscious
experience. In this paper, I suggest that in order to understand the
relationship between consciousness and the physical world, we need to probe
deeply into the nature of physical reality. This leads us to quantum physics
and to a second explanatory gap: that between quantum and classical reality. I
will seek a philosophical framework that can address these two gaps
simultaneously. Our analysis of quantum mechanics will naturally lead us to the
notion of a hidden reality and to the postulate that consciousness is an
integral component of this reality. The framework proposed in the paper
provides the philosophical underpinnings for a theory of consciousness while
satisfactorily resolving the interpretation problem in quantum mechanics
without the need to alter its mathematical structure. I also discuss some
implications for a scientific theory of consciousness.
