OK, I lied -- I did read it today. It's good! I like it a lot. I thought you did an outstanding job of capturing all the things that somebody who doesn't experience qualia should (and does? :-P) say in response to trying to explain it to them.
I find myself wondering what the alien would have said if he had been asked what it feels like to look at something green? Also, whether his civilization had any great poetry. (I can have feelings about whether poetry is linked to qualia, but I can never prove any of them true, of course. A non-qualia-enjoying brain can presumably get whatever rhythmic pleasures out of the things. Etc.)
But maybe there's an alien off harnessing some uninhabited planet, thinking, "RQ-11J, what a great guy, but isn't it weird how he can't understand qualia?"
I think the real question is, what do you feel like when you look at the color green? Of course the camp #1 peole start talking about brain states, which is easy problem territory. And other people talk about associations they have to the color, which of course is also true, but again misses the point. But when I try to explain it, I'm lost for words. In that sense, any phenomenal experience is a mystical experience, ineffable and beyond words. I think really trying to actually answer this question is what leads me towards the experience of not getting it any more. I think you should give it a shot! What is experiencing green truly like? (Even using the word "like" implies a similie, which again defeats the purpose. What *is* it?)
I wonder if that's what poetry is about? Pointing to ineffable experiences? I guess that's why you have to have some life experience to "get" poetry. I've never made this connection before, thanks for pointing out the link.
Yes, I have tried that! I agree that it leads to strange places. It becomes kind of like when you repeat a word too many times and it loses its content (if that makes sense?).
I agree, though -- I don't think that one can describe the feeling of seeing green. One can only name it, and others who have seen green will know what is meant.
OK, I lied -- I did read it today. It's good! I like it a lot. I thought you did an outstanding job of capturing all the things that somebody who doesn't experience qualia should (and does? :-P) say in response to trying to explain it to them.
I find myself wondering what the alien would have said if he had been asked what it feels like to look at something green? Also, whether his civilization had any great poetry. (I can have feelings about whether poetry is linked to qualia, but I can never prove any of them true, of course. A non-qualia-enjoying brain can presumably get whatever rhythmic pleasures out of the things. Etc.)
But maybe there's an alien off harnessing some uninhabited planet, thinking, "RQ-11J, what a great guy, but isn't it weird how he can't understand qualia?"
I'm glad you couldn't resist, haha!
I think the real question is, what do you feel like when you look at the color green? Of course the camp #1 peole start talking about brain states, which is easy problem territory. And other people talk about associations they have to the color, which of course is also true, but again misses the point. But when I try to explain it, I'm lost for words. In that sense, any phenomenal experience is a mystical experience, ineffable and beyond words. I think really trying to actually answer this question is what leads me towards the experience of not getting it any more. I think you should give it a shot! What is experiencing green truly like? (Even using the word "like" implies a similie, which again defeats the purpose. What *is* it?)
I wonder if that's what poetry is about? Pointing to ineffable experiences? I guess that's why you have to have some life experience to "get" poetry. I've never made this connection before, thanks for pointing out the link.
Yes, I have tried that! I agree that it leads to strange places. It becomes kind of like when you repeat a word too many times and it loses its content (if that makes sense?).
I agree, though -- I don't think that one can describe the feeling of seeing green. One can only name it, and others who have seen green will know what is meant.