(philosophy) Qualia Realism
Tales From The Haunted Machine
{snip from document, by William S. Robinson} "Qualia" (singular,
"quale") is a term introduced by C. I. Lewis (1929, p. 121) to stand
for "recognizable qualitative characters of the given". Lewis's
examples were red, blue, round, and loud. Although the predicates for
these qualia are also used to denote properties of physical objects,
Lewis was explicit that properties of physical objects are not qualia:
qualia are properties only of the given. . . . Clarifying qualia
evidently goes hand in hand with motivating and clarifying the
distinction between properties of ordinary physical objects and
properties of experiences. We shall begin with some very traditional
approaches to this key distinction, and then set out some more recent
arguments for qualia. While this article will focus on the positive and
will not offer a survey of objections to qualia with qualia realists'
replies, it will be necessary to discuss the main motivation for views
that oppose qualia realism. Go to
http://host.uniroma3.it/progetti/kant/field/qr.htm