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From: mjs14@unix.brighton.ac.uk (shute)
Subject: Re: Qualia (was Re: Minsky's new article)
Message-ID: <1994Nov25.112739.15439@unix.brighton.ac.uk>
Organization: University of Brighton, UK
References: <PJG.94Nov21161240@tesla.esl.com> <3b1lik$8fg@urmel.informatik.rwth-aachen.de> <CzsHus.Bny@gpu.utcc.utoronto.ca>
Date: Fri, 25 Nov 1994 11:27:39 GMT
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Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.ai.philosophy:22625 comp.ai:25484 comp.robotics:15661

In article <CzsHus.Bny@gpu.utcc.utoronto.ca> pindor@gpu.utcc.utoronto.ca (Andrzej Pindor) writes:
>However, this does not help you in the inverse problem - seeing yellow "qualia"
>when only red and green light is present (this is how you get yellow on your
>computer screen).

Aren't we just talking about optical illusions here?
How come we have the qualia (have I used that term correctly??) of a pin
1 metre away from me, when in reality it is a pin 25cm from me being reflected
in a mirror that is 50cm from me?
How come we see a pin 4cm below the water line, when in reality it is 3cm
below the water line?  (I hope I've got the figures right, there).

How come I think that I'm surrounded by trolls and goblins and a medieval
landscape in a VR game?

How come I think that the London Philharmonic Orchestra is playing in
my living room (perhaps even a few metres within its walls!) whenever I
turn on my stereo system?

Since our view of reality is based entirely on the evidence that we receive
via our perceptions, and since the evidence which we receive via our
perceptions is so easy to forge, we are able to fool ourselves, and each
other, with little toys like VR, stereo HiFi, and 3-gun CRTs.
-- 

Malcolm SHUTE.         (The AM Mollusc:   v_@_ )        Disclaimer: all
