From: mike99 (mike99@lascruces.com)
Date: Mon Jul 05 2004 - 13:19:24 MDT
Meta-q,
You mentioned qualia-less things such as "super zombie worlds."
So far as I know, no one has ever proposed a test that could identify a
zombie as such, when by all appearances, actions, and communications,
zombies are indistinguishable from non-zombies. (Like, presumably you and
me. Or maybe just you?)
Saying that we possess qualia but zombies do not is like saying that we
possess souls and zombie do not. In other words, it's saying nothing
intelligible.
Mike LaTorra
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-sl4@sl4.org [mailto:owner-sl4@sl4.org]On Behalf Of
> Metaqualia
> Sent: Saturday, July 03, 2004 11:48 PM
> To: sl4@sl4.org
> Subject: Re: Geddes's 'Moral Perturbation Theory'
>
>
> > I'd say qualia is a construct of nervous systems, not an external
> > feature of nature (beyond the fact that nervous systems are part of
> > nature). Its very hard to map from the experience of the internet to
> > our own experience, since its wiring is quite different from our own.
> > But it doesn't mean it doesn't experience.
>
> and gravity is a construct of massive particles, not an external
> feature of
> nature?
> There is no real distinction here. Just, if you interpret the
> nervous system
> as a strictly mechanical process, then you are forced to consider
> qualia as
> somewhat "outside" the sysem. Just like if you describe the universe in
> terms of particles located here and there you are forced to
> assume 'gravity'
> is an external force acting on the particles.
>
> If you see the brain like a computer qualia are an added extra;
> if you allow
> for funky stuff to go on in computing systems of a certain (and so far
> unknown) specific kind, then you're covered. That is not what I'm
> concerned
> about though, what I'm concerned about is the idea that qualia
> whatever they
> are provide the only qualitative assessment (_how_ is this? is it good or
> bad? yellow or red?) for otherwise pointless and trivial physical patterns
> (which would include qualia-less omega points, and all kinds of
> super zombie
> worlds).
>
> mq
>
>
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