STL comments on Seeing Red: Dissolving Mary's Room and Qualia - Less Wrong

38 Post author: orthonormal 26 May 2011 05:47PM

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Comment author: [deleted] 26 May 2011 06:52:21PM 7 points [-]
  1. A physically plausible scenario would involve growing up under a monochromatic light source.

  2. Growing up without sensory input actually affects the brain; see Wikipedia's article on monocular deprivation. I'm actually an example of this - I was born without the Mystic Eyes Of Depth Perception so I'll never know what stereoscopic vision "feels like".

  3. I propose that "qualia" is a word that, like "microevolution", is mainly used by people who are very confused (and dissolving the question is the appropriate approach).

Comment author: [deleted] 26 May 2011 07:01:32PM 16 points [-]

I'm actually an example of this - I was born without the Mystic Eyes Of Depth Perception so I'll never know what stereoscopic vision "feels like".

If you turn something or move around it, even if you only use one eye to do this, your brain puts together the succeeding images to create a three-dimensional visual experience of the scene. Here is an example. If you're curious about "what it's like" to have stereo vision, in my opinion it is not far off from this, without the movement.

Comment author: Lightwave 27 May 2011 08:06:53AM 2 points [-]

Here are two more.

Comment author: john-lawrence-aspden 26 May 2011 07:24:24PM 2 points [-]

The link is well worth following. Wow! Stereo vision with one eye closed!

Comment author: Kaj_Sotala 28 May 2011 11:15:42AM *  6 points [-]

I propose that "qualia" is a word that, like "microevolution", is mainly used by people who are very confused (and dissolving the question is the appropriate approach).

Could you expand on this? I've seen before here the notion that the term "qualia" should be gotten rid of entirely, but I've never really understood it.

For instance, asking what kinds of processes are capable of producing qualia, in order to figure out which animals are capable of feeling pain, certainly seems relevant for utilitarian ethics. (You could reword the question as "which animals can feel pain", which avoids using the term 'qualia', but you're at heart still referring to the same concept.)

Comment author: Peterdjones 31 May 2011 05:23:28PM 1 point [-]

It's also pretty difficult to describe phenomena like synaesthesa without terms like qualia.

Comment author: Peter_de_Blanc 28 May 2011 01:06:46PM 0 points [-]

Depth perception can be gained through vision therapy, even if you've never had it before. This is something I'm looking into doing, since I also grew up without depth perception.

Comment author: [deleted] 28 May 2011 02:00:40PM 1 point [-]

I should have been more precise. I was born without a fully formed right eye - it has no lens and does not transmit a signal to my brain. Therefore, no "therapy" can improve my Vision Onefold. People in my situation (monocular blindness from birth) are extremely rare, so your assumption is understandable.

I can get around in 3D space just fine, and I'm extremely good at first-person shooters, so I know I'm not missing much. (Coincidentally, I have no interest in physical sports.) The wiggle images do "work" for me.

(On the other hand, "Possession of a single Eye is said to make the bearer equivalent to royalty.")