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Benito comments on Open thread, 24-30 March 2014 - Less Wrong Discussion

6 Post author: Metus 25 March 2014 07:42AM

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Comment author: XiXiDu 29 March 2014 10:11:18AM *  0 points [-]

“dude, what if like, my red is your blue?”

“dude, what if like, two plus two isn't four?”

Are you indicating that only the relation between wavelengths and the brain's information processing counts, and that differing conscious perceptions of these wavelengths are analogous to the use of different sets of symbols used to denote the additive relationship between "two-ness" and "four-ness" (two plus two equals four and deux plus deux égalent quatre)?

Comment author: Benito 29 March 2014 03:34:03PM *  3 points [-]

No, I just meant that, just because a 'stoner' can ask a question, doesn't mean the answer to the question is permanently unknowable.

Edit: Or even that difficult to answer. In fact, that a stoner can ask a question is almost no evidence of anything at all. Applying principle of charity, if Scott meant that anyone can always ask that question, that's true for any question; you can always keep asking if two plus two equals four. Now, if in fact Aaronson wants to present evidence for the claim that we can never know if your and my 'blues and reds' are the same, that would be cool, but there was no real argument given.