[extropy-chat] Re: Spirits

[gts]

On Wed, 30 Nov 2005 13:36:10 -0500, John K Clark <jonkc at att.net> wrote:

>>> No. She already knew that. Mary knew everything possible about every
>>> related branch of science, then stepped into the world of color and
>>> learned something new.
>
> I don't really understand where this conversation is going. Do you  
> expect me to say it's imposable to experience new things?

The Mary argument is a standard argument for the existence of qualia. Some  
people deny qualia represent new knowledge. The point is to highlight the  
fact that phenomenal knowledge exists, separate and distinct from what we  
normally mean by scientific or objective knowledge.

One can argue that phenomenal knowledge does not exist, but if it does  
exist then it seems that the part of the brain that acquires it works more  
like camera film than a microschip. As I wrote previously,  the film sees  
the color, the chip talks about it.

That "brain-film" is in my view aware, and in a manner analogous to real  
camera film. I think the two are  equivalent, though of course  
"brain-film" is more complex. As you know I think it makes sense to say   
mechanical cameras are aware, though they are not self-aware and not  
conscious and not alive.


-gts