The philosopher and cognitive scientist Daniel Dennett has done numerous researches on the concept of Qualia: a gap in language. Qualia are the subjective experiences that cannot be described by words‚ such as describing color to a blind person‚ or the blind describing the lack thereof to a seeing person. In the novel "The Joy Luck Club‚" the mothers and the daughters have somewhat of a communication gap: one is centered on the Chinese language and the other American English. In communication between
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understand a philosophical theory‚ or to describe a flaw in one of those theories. Qualia is a product of the latter category. However‚ the existence of qualia has been called into question by Daniel Dennett in his article Quining Qualia. This paper will be exploring the claims Dennett made about the existence of qualia in three parts. First‚ by defining the five qualities that Dennett observes as being attributed to the term qualia. Then‚ summarizing Dennett’s four primary arguments by highlighting an example
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Jackson‚ the problem with qualia relates to how “the physicalist scheme leaves something out” (Jackson‚ 415). When a person is lacking a physical component such as a cone that allows them to see another color or even the gift of sight‚ they can understand the scientific nature of this component but never truly experience it. Physicalism misses the personal subjective experiences because it identifies only the scientific. Jackson elaborates that physicalism lacks qualia because of its scientific
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The knowledge argument challenges the idea that everything that exists in the world is purely physical (physicalism) by claiming that qualia exists and is not a physical property. ‘Qualia’ refers to the properties of a feeling from a conscious experience. For example‚ the qualia of red when you are looking at something that is red‚ or the qualia of pain when you have injured yourself. This theory discusses the idea of consciousness that cannot be logically concluded from physicalism through Frank
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different approaches to the mind-body problem such as dualism and monism. I will then look at arguments for and against Jackson’s theory before drawing to a conclusion. I will be discussing the theories outlined in Jackson’s paper Epiphenomenal Qualia and Thomas Nagel’s What it is it like to be a bat?‚ followed by a discussion on the ‘Philosophical Zombie’. Physicalism is the ontological view that everything
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defending it. The biggest problem facing physicalists and the identity thesis is the concept of qualia‚ the phenomenal quality of a mental state (Reasons and Responsibility‚ 281). Philosopher Frank Jackson offers what he calls the “Knowledge Argument” for qualia. Jackson’s knowledge argument presents that nonphysical facts can be devised from facts about phenomenal quality. Through the concept of qualia‚ Jackson’s knowledge argument shows that the identity thesis is false. The identity thesis holds
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An objection to Jackson’s Knowledge Argument in Mary’s Thought Experiment 1. In "Epiphenomenal Qualia" (1982)‚ Jackson creates the Knowledge Argument about a woman called Mary who is subjected to a monochrome life resulting in new experiences when she enters the real world. Jackson uses this ’Thought Experiment ’ to illustrate his remonstration against Physicalism. After explaining what Physicalism is and how Jackson postulates his opposing argument‚ I shall determine what I believe to be the
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According to Martin Schonfield in “Animal Consciousness: Paradigm Change in the Life Sciences” “In the old analytic climate‚ claims that animals are sentient raised methodological and ideological problems and seemed debatable at best.”(Schonfield p. 1) Claims that animals were self-aware or intelligent were regarded as unfounded. “The task of science in the past four centuries had been to demythologize the past.”(Schonfield p.1) Daniel C. Dennett in “Animal Consciousness: What Matters and Why”
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A philosophical zombie is described as something that is similar to a human being but it lacks conscious experience. It is similar to a person in its entirety only that it is not living. The zombie reacts similar to a human being when exposed to the same environment. It adjusts itself similar to a man‚ which includes the manner it processes the information. Functionally‚ he is identical to man and the expected end result is that which a man will have‚ who was subjected to the same environment. Since
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Jackson uses “qualia” as a main point to his deconstruction of Physicalism. Qualia are the “felt qualities” of an experience. Imagine there was a man named Yuri; Yuri has tasted pizza before. One day‚ his friend Eloisa eats pizza in front of him. When Yuri watches Eloisa eat pizza‚ he thinks that he can relate to what it is like for Eloisa to eat and taste pizza. But the truth is‚ according to Jackson‚ all that Yuri can do is remember what it was like for him and not what it is like for Eloisa. Even
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