Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: beavus
The hard problem for Chalmers is that of subjective experience.

Well, this Chalmers guy at least seems to be someone who "gets it". So many who are commited to objectivity are dismissive of the problem of the subjective. Probably because it's so excruciating.

My thought has been that we have a lot further to go on the "easy" problem of objective correlates of subjective expericence. Consider color. Schroedinger mentioned that "yellow" would be the stimulation of a certain set of nerves. But what could distinguish these nerves from the "blue" nerves? If there were "yellow" and "blue" nerves, otherwise physically identical, this would vindicate dualism. From my "readings on color" I see the indication that color perception involves qualitatively different neural patterns. But even then, why should various abstract patterns be associated with the variable subjective perceptions?

The question is excruciating.

18 posted on 08/09/2005 8:13:02 PM PDT by dr_lew
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: dr_lew
Consider color

A lively discussion in my office (and its a clerical office, not scientific:) was about the effects of vitamin B-12 on "dreaming in color instead of black-and-white". I maintained that it was impossible to prove that you dreamt in color with any sort of empirical or observational evidence. The 'color dreamer' could only testify that they'd dreamt in color, but it could not be proven scientifically.
Subsequently, I tried experimenting with my own dreams using lucid conciousness techniques, and found that during a lucid dream when I thought about the question, then sure enough the dream became 'in full technicolor'! Otherwise it was just a jumble of seemingly random thought patterns. But I couldn't PROVE any of it !!!

Your mileage may vary ........ :)

The question is excruciating

Excruciating indeed !! {grin}

21 posted on 08/09/2005 10:07:04 PM PDT by Mr_Moonlight
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson