Re: Qualia Question

On 30 Jun 2005 05:49:04 -0700, "1Z" <peterdjones@xxxxxxxxx> in
comp.ai.philosophy wrote:

>
>
>Lester Zick wrote:
>> I'm assuming this response is addressed to me.
>>
>> On 29 Jun 2005 13:56:34 -0700, "angola" <spamaddress@xxxxxxxxxxx> in
>> comp.ai.philosophy wrote:
>>
>> >Isn't the question rather the other way round?
>> >
>> >We experience light of a certain frequency as being 'red,' and
>> >strawberries taste like strawberries. Surely the challenge that qualia
>> >pose, is to account just for those elements of our actual experience
>> >that are absent from any behavioural, (or physical) description. To
>> >suggest that we can get by very well thank you without using qualia is
>> >just to miss the point. (Though I don't deny that it might be very
>> >useful to persue that line of reasoning)
>>
>> We've had mental descriptions descriptions of all kinds both objective
>> and subjective for centuries which don't rely on behavioral or
>> physical descriptions. Adding qualia to the inventory doesn't enhance
>> or advance the comprehension of those effects one way or the other.
>> They're just used to talk about the same old things the same old way
>> and pretend something of value has been added to the conversation.
>>
>> Regards - Lester
>
>They do indeed re-state an old problem; the thing is that all other
>terms
>are ambiguous in some way. Dr X can talk about "perceptions", for
>instance, and his behaviourist colleague Dr Y will take that to mean
>responses to external
>stimuli, while the neurologist Dr Z thinks a perception is a pattern of
>neural
>activity. The subjective aspect has got lost.

It's only gotten lost because behaviorists and memists pretend it
isn't there. There are at least three metaphors for the subjective in
this respect: behavior, qualia, and memes. None of them explain
anything about subjective behavior. They just rename the effects and
then go on to pretend they aren't there.

Regards - Lester
.

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