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    Interpersonal comparisons of qualia do not make sense — Carmelics
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    Interpersonal comparisons of qualia do not make sense

    Consciousness & Mind
    ?Rate how convincing each reason is below to see the overall strength.
    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
    ?
    • 1.The Frege-Schlick view holds that interpersonal comparisons of qualia (unlike intrapersonal comparisons) lack meaning
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    • 2.Verificationist grounds support the claim that interpersonal qualitative comparisons are not meaningful
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    Reasons Against

    2 perspectives
    Reason against 1 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Wittgenstein's private language argument implies that qualia concepts derive their meaning from public, interpersonal linguistic practices.
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    • 2.If qualia terms are semantically grounded in shared behavioral and linguistic contexts, then interpersonal comparisons inherit that same grounding.
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    • 3.Therefore, the Frege-Schlick view presupposes a private ostensive definition of qualia that Wittgenstein's argument shows to be incoherent.
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    Reason against 2 of 2
    ?
    • 1.Functionalist accounts (e.g., Lewis, Armstrong) identify qualia by their causal-functional roles within a system, roles which are publicly specifiable.
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    • 2.If qualia are individuated by functional roles, then interpersonal comparisons reduce to comparisons of structurally equivalent causal roles—an empirically tractable matter.
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    • 3.The verificationist dismissal thus proves too much, ruling out meaningful comparisons only by presupposing a non-functionalist, purely intrinsic conception of qualia.
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    Topics

    Consciousness & Mind

    Connections

    2 topics

    Truth & Knowledge1 linkedPhilosophy of Language1 linked

    Related

    Functionalist accounts (e.g., Lewis, Armstrong) identify qualia by their causal-...If qualia are individuated by functional roles, then interpersonal comparisons r...If qualia terms are semantically grounded in shared behavioral and linguistic co...The Frege-Schlick view holds that interpersonal comparisons of qualia (unlike in...
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    The verificationist dismissal thus proves too much, ruling out meaningful compar...Therefore, the Frege-Schlick view presupposes a private ostensive definition of ...Verificationist grounds support the claim that interpersonal qualitative compari...

    Similar

    The Frege-Schlick view holds that interpersonal comparisons of qualia ...82%The two experiences therefore have different qualia.80%If qualia are identical to neural properties, the explanatory gap does...80%The existence of qualia appears to contradict physicalism80%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: qualia-inverted
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    One might think that at least step 4 is unproblematic. However, according to the “Frege-Schlick view” (Shoemaker 1982, 339), interpersonal comparisons of qualia (unlike intrapersonal comparisons) do not make sense. The Frege-Schlick view could be supported on verificationist grounds; for a more interesting line of defense, see Stalnaker 1999, 2006, and Shoemaker 2006b and Block 2007, 103–7, for discussion. Since it makes perfect sense (and indeed is often true) to say that tomatoes look red to m
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Wittgenstein's private language argument implies that qualia concepts derive the...
    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit