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Single Idea 6547

[from 'Consciousness' by William Lycan, in 15. Nature of Minds / B. Features of Minds / 5. Qualia / c. Explaining qualia ]

Full Idea

It is just arbitrary to choose a level of nature a priori as the locus of qualia, even though we can agree that high levels (such as behaviourism) and low-levels (such as the subatomic) can be ruled out as totally improbable.

Clarification

The 'locus' is the area in which it moves

Gist of Idea

The right 'level' for qualia is uncertain, though top (behaviourism) and bottom (particles) are false

Source

William Lycan (Consciousness [1987], 5.6)

Book Reference

Lycan,William G.: 'Consciousness' [MIT 1995], p.69


A Reaction

Very good. People scream 'qualia!' whenever the behaviour level or the atomic level are proposed as the locations of the mind, but the suggestion that they are complex, and are spread across many functional levels in the middle sounds good.