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cliche · 11-04-2003, 04:52 PM

If anyone wants to read the essay by Dennett I mentioned earlier I've found it exists on the internet:

Quining Qualia

I'd recommend paying attention to the "neurosurgical reversal" (#5 and #6) - I think they explain things very nicely. Most notably the idea that in the links:

Sense ---(a)---> Qualia ---(b)---> action (internal or external)

If I were to reverse a, or b, your world would change completely (ie all colours the opposite of normal) - but no-one, including you, could tell which one I had done (assuming I did it by 'magical' means). And if I reversed both, nothing would have changed. You would behave the same, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference yourself. So that at least strongly suggests that a and b may be the same...

Anyway, have a look at the essay if you're interested.

11-04-2003, 04:52 PM	#21 (permalink)
cliche Rookie Location: Oxford, UK	If anyone wants to read the essay by Dennett I mentioned earlier I've found it exists on the internet: Quining Qualia I'd recommend paying attention to the "neurosurgical reversal" (#5 and #6) - I think they explain things very nicely. Most notably the idea that in the links: Sense ---(a)---> Qualia ---(b)---> action (internal or external) If I were to reverse a, or b, your world would change completely (ie all colours the opposite of normal) - but no-one, including you, could tell which one I had done (assuming I did it by 'magical' means). And if I reversed both, nothing would have changed. You would behave the same, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference yourself. So that at least strongly suggests that a and b may be the same... Anyway, have a look at the essay if you're interested. __________________ I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones. -- John Cage (1912 - 1992)