Qualia

Connections List
 * Perception Arguments
 * Perception
 * Grand Design 2-1
 * Being, Consciousness

Scope
 * Words and concept "qualia"

Topics
 * Def
 * Thought experiments

Definition
 * Qualia - things that we observe that have no scientific reason to exist (not violations of science)
 * E.g. color (basically anything direct sensing).

Thought experiments
 * We can imagine a world where you wake up and the color scheme is switched but no *physical* changes have occurred. This is because nothing has (we argue), not even in your brain. We say this may be spiritual, others just leave it as is.
 * Mary scientist in the black and white room, does she learn something when she goes outside?

Discussion
 * If all that you do is chemistry, why do you even have the illusion of making decisions? Why do you listen to your own thoughts? Why do we have the word self-control if there is only one biological/physical continuous self? (Well, we can explain that with different forces in contradiction to each other, the force of not wanting to be overweight and the force of pleasure-seeking, but still...)
 * Essentially this may be the qualia of language, of self-awarness, of being able to listen to our own thoughts. Why do we hear our conscious but not our subconscious? At what biological level of evolution does the organism begin to hear its own thoughts (in any form)?
 * Now yes, the brain can go through a memory and pretend it's hearing or seeing something (or listening to the english language), and this whole thing may be accused of 'God of the gaps'. But this is not what I'm saying. What is it about electricity firing around in this grey matter that causes me to feel? Would a giant computer be conscious and have feelings? Would we have to give it human rights?
 * Birds charge into glass, do dogs recognize themselves in mirrors?
 * Anyway.