Warmest regards, Tim
On Sunday, September 7, 2003, at 08:38 PM, Ben Goertzel wrote:
Qualia by their definition (ineffable, non-causal etc.) have no
function, can
have no function in the system, that I do agree with Dennett ('quining
qualia'). I also agree with Dennett that if the behaviour of a system is
completely explained nothing remains, all extra ontology is just
redundant
metaphysics. Eliminate it by Ockham's razor; like William James
said: 'every
difference must make a difference.'
Hmmmm.... One modification to this: Even if all the behavior of a system is
completely explained by ideas in set X, there may still be a value for ideas
in set Y if they give a *simpler* explanation of the behavior of a system.
This is not just a quibble, it's a relevant issue. Even if mechanisms give
a complete explanation of a system's behavior, qualia could still be
relevant if they give a simpler explanation of aspects of the system's
behavior. Which *does* appear to be the case...
-- Ben G
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