[extropy-chat] Re: Qualia Bet.

[Marc Geddes]

On 12/2/05, Robin Hanson <rhanson at gmu.edu> wrote:

>
> I didn't say anything about "material" causality, whatever that
> means; I only talked about causality.  We can only ever get any
> evidence about things that have causal connections to us, and that
> includes dark matter, extra dimensions, God, morality, and
> qualia.  If qualia properties of things cannot at least indirectly
> cause changes in us, they cannot be the cause of our beliefs about
> anything, including qualia.  And if qualia properties exist and can
> cause changes in us, then careful scientific investigation should
> eventually find clear evidence of them.

Well I totally agree with you here.  No disagreement so far.  But it
doesn't follow that the explanation for consciousness will turn out to
be *plain* physics, only that it will be *some* kind of physics.

>
> You *cannot* declare both "I know qualia exist because I see them",
> and also "scientific investigation cannot find qualia" or "qualia
> properties are non-causal."  Of course you can have beliefs regarding
> things of which you have no evidence.
>
>

Again, I'm in full agreement with you.  I'm certainly not one of those
saying that qualia are non-causal or non-scientific.  But see the
caveat I mentioned above.




>
>
> Robin Hanson  rhanson at gmu.edu  http://hanson.gmu.edu
> Associate Professor of Economics, George Mason University
> MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444
> 703-993-2326  FAX: 703-993-2323
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> extropy-chat mailing list
> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org
> http://lists.extropy.org/mailman/listinfo/extropy-chat
>


--
To see a World in a grain of sand,
And Heaven in a wild flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.
-William Blake

Please visit my web-site:
http://www.riemannai.org/
Sci-Fi, Science and Fantasy