Thank you for your perspective. I agree that directly experiencing consciousness from a first-person point of view provides insights that a strictly empirical, third-person approach may miss. My aim with this piece was to prompt reconsideration of assumptions that consciousness must be reducible to physical brain states and that a scientific framework is sufficient for understanding it. Perhaps, as you suggest, we need to move beyond excessive reductionism and be open to the mysteries of direct personal awareness that lie beyond the limits of "faux science." I'm encouraging discussion, not claiming definitive answers. But materialist biases today often dismiss or ignore the reality of subjective experience, which demands more philosophical attention. I appreciate you highlighting the value of phenomenology and non-reductive views - it is vital we do not lose sight of the essence of consciousness while seeking to dissect its workings.