Consciousness remains one of the main mysteries for philosophy and experimental science. This book is an attempt to take a fresh look at an old question. Recognizing the successes of experimental studies of consciousness, the author nevertheless conducts his research in a conceptual way, trying to clarify the structure and relationship of our basic beliefs about the world and about ourselves. We all believe in the existence of consciousness in other people, in the fact that past experience can be used for predictions for the future, that there are no uncaused events in the world and that physical objects are independent of our consciousness. By establishing the relationship between these beliefs, we, the author believes, will be able to clarify the ontological status of consciousness and understand the relationship between the mental and the physical. The author criticizes physicalism and epiphenomenalism and puts forward a naturalistic version of interactionism, which he uses to justify common sense intuitions. The author thanks the Moscow Center for Consciousness Research for their assistance in preparing the book for publication.