Here is one of the most succinct statements about the mysteries of non-physical consciousness manifest in a physical, material universe, together with the intrinsic problem of qualia, I have ever encountered. In his book “Incomplete Nature” biological anthropologist Terrance Deacon makes the following statement:
“Although we can explain how a device might be built to distinguish red from green light – and can even explain how retinal cells accomplish this -this account provides no purchase in explaining why red light looks red”. for me such observations differentiate the really deep thinker from those wedded solely to a belief system. Questions such as this are NOT pointless exercises in metaphysics but questions whose answers MUST be found if we are to really understand how the universe works.”