From: hal@finney.org
Date: Fri Nov 26 1999 - 18:06:37 MST
Robert J. Bradbury, <bradbury@www.aeiveos.com>, writes:
> What in the blazes is a "qualia"?
My dictionary doesn't have it either, but it is the plural of "quale"
and my dictionary has that one (it doesn't show the plural form though).
Basically it refers to sensory impressions, with an emphasis on conscious
perception. I believe Eliezer's usage would also work with reference
to consciousness, self-consciousness, awareness, etc. It is all related
to the philosophical question of what it means to be conscious and how
consciousness could relate to the actions of the physical world.
> And, how can we lower the barriers to entry for people coming into
> this list if we do not have a dictionary of terms for the newbies
> (or even the middle-aged-bies)?
Qualia is a technical term in the philosophy of consciousness, which does
occasionally enter our discussions. For example we have talked about
whether machines can be conscious and whether we can retain our conscious
identity as we upload. However I don't think these issues are central to
Extropian thought. When we do bring in a technical term, whether from
physics, economics or philosophy, it is probably enough to say where it
comes from if that is not clear from the context (as in this case).
Hal
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