rationalskepticism.org

zoon wrote:

DavidMcC wrote:

zoon wrote:In summary, I think that for most practical purposes in everyday life, when considering our thoughts and other people’s thoughts (including colour qualia), those mental events can be taken to be private to individuals, and originated by them, but that there is no need to suppose that the privacy or the origination, both of which contradict science, are aspects of ultimate reality. If they are treated instead as useful approximations (like Newtonian mechanics), they can be useful without being misleading illusions.

Wow! Where to begin?!
A. Colour vision is not a thought, even if the qualia that may be associated with it are. It is merely something to think ABOUT. Vision occurs in the visual cortex, not the prefrontal cortex.
B. "...privacy or the origination, both of which contradict science"?? How so? The origination of our own ideas may be mainly through stimulation by sensory input (either before or during the idea). In my experience, at least.
C. "treated as useful approximations" to what, exactly?

A. I don’t think I’ve claimed that colour vision is a thought. In the paragraph of mine which you quote above, I said that colour qualia are thoughts, things that we’ve evolved to categorise as mental events. You appear to be agreeing with that categorisation?

B. Again, as far as I can tell I’m agreeing with you. You are saying that ideas are caused by physical events, which is the usual modern view, based on science, and I agree with it.
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