[ExI] Frank Jackson's brilliant color scientist Mary

[spike at rainier66.com]

From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of John Clark via extropy-chat



 

Except for their own qualia EVERYBODY is qualia blind even poets, the handicap is not limited to physicists and neuroscientists. And that will never change. 

…

 

John K Clark

 

 

 

Indeed sir?  Ye of little faith.  John I can see your qualia, me lad.  Only recently in history can we do it.  We can all go right now into excel or something equivalent to it, go into your color wheel where it says “more colors” set the red to 255, the green and blue to zero, and there my friends, is the absolute objective definition of RED!  What you see there is red.  No subjectivity left, no wiggle room, the computer people have handed us a great gift.

 

Do let me go on that for a minute before I dispute John’s notion in verse.  

 

Yesterday was the winter solstice, which is always a time of great rejoicing because the darkest days are behind us for the year.  Now each day, more sunshine returns, lifting our spirits, minute by minute of increased access to that glorious fusion reactor in the sky, oh what a marvelous time.  So we are at the time of the year in which the sun begins its annual return, we are at a point in history where mankind is undergoing a great awakening, LIGO results are blowing our minds every few weeks, our childrens is learnin, we are here, we are alive, and oh life is good.

 

John claims even the poets are qualia blind.  No way Jose!  Set your color wheel to 255, 0, 0 and there it is, in all its refulgent glory!  Here’s a poet’s view for ya:

 

There once was a young man named Clark

In science he made his life’s mark

He would often see red

And so it was said

It’s clear he is not in the dark.

 

We have been with extropians so long

We knew this routine like a song,

We could see his red qualia

So the notion was folly, a

Lot of us knew it was wrong.

 

But we’d rather talk about that

Than some dreary political spat

So they all played along

And sang the old song

Though some were sharp and some flat.

 

There ya go John, proof.  Poets can see your qualia.  Set that color wheel as specified, 255, 0,0 then what you see and what I see are the SAME!  By definition!  Perhaps one must be a poet like your old pal spike to eff this ineffable concept.  But I see it.  I have the eye of a POET!

 

I fear the ExI discussion at this merry Newtonmas season has been far not silly enough for our standards, so I invite some annual silliness or failing that, just some cheerful winter solstice greetings are in order such as the one I send to all of you, from the poet laureate of… my house.  

 

May the new year bring you every happiness, may the joy of fresh LIGO results bless your home and family, may the spirit of dynamic optimism move your soul, may science and technology infuse your being and lift your spirits and we grow together in new understanding.

 

spike  

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