For me, a morally significant agent is one that has positive and negative qualia. Since I can’t tell this by looking at an agent, I guess. I’m pretty sure that my brother does, and I’m pretty sure that a rock doesn’t.
Cyan mentioned pain asymbolia on the last thread: the ability to feel pain, but not really find anything painful or problematic about it. If someone had asymbolia generalized across all mental functions, I would stop counting that person as a moral agent.
I figure it’s symmetric. It’s just as likely a rock has good qualia as bad qualia in a given situation. Humans are more asymmetric. If they have bad qualia, they tend to stop doing whatever it is, so you can tell they have bad qualia.
I cannot speak for Scott, but I can speculate. I am quite sure a rock doesn’t have qualia, because it doesn’t have any processing center, gives no sign of having any utility to maximize, and has no reaction to stimuli. It most probably doesn’t have a mind.
For me, a morally significant agent is one that has positive and negative qualia. Since I can’t tell this by looking at an agent, I guess. I’m pretty sure that my brother does, and I’m pretty sure that a rock doesn’t.
Cyan mentioned pain asymbolia on the last thread: the ability to feel pain, but not really find anything painful or problematic about it. If someone had asymbolia generalized across all mental functions, I would stop counting that person as a moral agent.
Wouldn’t it be enough to have positive /or/ negative qualia?
...yes.
Could you elaborate on your reasons for doubting that a rock has qualia?
Qualia appear to require complicated internal structure: knock out a certain brain area and you lose some aspect of it.
I figure it’s symmetric. It’s just as likely a rock has good qualia as bad qualia in a given situation. Humans are more asymmetric. If they have bad qualia, they tend to stop doing whatever it is, so you can tell they have bad qualia.
I cannot speak for Scott, but I can speculate. I am quite sure a rock doesn’t have qualia, because it doesn’t have any processing center, gives no sign of having any utility to maximize, and has no reaction to stimuli. It most probably doesn’t have a mind.