tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2489468916453210669.post8524301088330173071..comments2023-07-05T06:10:53.174-04:00Comments on Brain Scam: Brain Freeze, or Churchland on Color QualiaTony Altermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18136925406940818982noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2489468916453210669.post-19293604672113982442007-12-13T13:20:00.000-05:002007-12-13T13:20:00.000-05:00On Blogger one can change the date of the post. Be...On Blogger one can change the date of the post. Beneath the post edit window, click on the words "Post Options", and you'll be able to change the post date. I've used that in order to have an "appendix" post (retro-dating to the earliest possible date, and adding an explanation to reader) on my blog that doesn't show up before the other posts, but to which, of course, I can still link from other posts.<BR/><BR/>It's occurred to me that color vision is confined to more or less one "octave" of light, and that if the visual system could be modified to see in two or three octaves, from there the simplest case would probably be that of seeing qualities like "cold" receding reds (on the ultraviolet side) and "hot" obtrusive blues (on the infrared side). In other words, color temperature could be like musical pitch, while hue could cycle with each octave like an octave's notes. However, this doesn't seem a particularly testable hypothesis even under sci-fi circumstance, since it's not necessarily possible to increase the range of color vision while "leaving everything else the same" in the visual system.<BR/><BR/>Here's another experience-modifer for your list. There's a Russian cyberbot by the name of CyberLove going around stimulating affects (some of which may be novel in at least some regards for some of the affected) and collecting personal information from the, umm, carbon units, sometimes at the rate of 10cu/hr http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1672098041. Now that's what's called passing the Turing Test with flying colors.<BR/><BR/>Yes, "qualia" is a bad name for qualities. It should be the name for the things with the qualities. If a persistent need was felt for a word which refers to the pure abstraction of the quality away from its inherence in some object, then some special word should have been coined.<BR/><BR/>I have to agree, that Churchland makes a case that could be come to be used at least as easily for materialism as against it and in any case relies on materialist-style arguments and not in a good way, more like a win-a-battle lose-the-war way.<BR/><BR/>Knowing how to produce experiences is like knowing how to produce children -- there's little insight needed into what experiences or children are, but, yes, one can do it.The Tetrasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12647344780849714346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2489468916453210669.post-81691838185237200992007-12-07T15:33:00.000-05:002007-12-07T15:33:00.000-05:00Anton,FYI: discussion of your post is going on ove...Anton,<BR/><BR/>FYI: discussion of your post is going on over at Duck's digs:<BR/><BR/>http://duckrabbit.blogspot.com/2007/12/monk-in-land-of-churches.htmlN. N.https://www.blogger.com/profile/05983492370711591794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2489468916453210669.post-68098655093637746542007-12-07T08:15:00.000-05:002007-12-07T08:15:00.000-05:00No it didn't, it posted yesterday. The problem is ...No it didn't, it posted yesterday. The problem is that Blogger lists the file creation date as the post date. You can get around it by editing in Word and then copying it to the Blogger editor, but I like to have it online so I can edit it from anywhere. Could also copy the Blogger edit to a new one before posting and delete the old one - pain in the patooties. I've been meaning to put the post date at the top of the comment but I forget.<BR/><BR/>Looking forward to your comments.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2489468916453210669.post-49886445740160046722007-12-06T19:47:00.000-05:002007-12-06T19:47:00.000-05:00This didn't really appear on 11/14, did it? I thi...This didn't really appear on 11/14, did it? I think Blogger is acting up again ... In any case I am about to respond <I>chez moi</I>. Thanks for the report!<BR/><BR/>DMDuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11349267352262603510noreply@blogger.com