orthonormal, is the following an accurate summary of your approach to the Mary’s Room paradox?
Certain states of Mary’s conscious mind cannot be brought about by any action of her conscious mind. In particular, no sequence of words can put her conscious mind into the state of experiencing red. But effable experiences are just those states of consciousness that can be induced by sequences of words. Therefore, Mary will find the experience of seeing red to be ineffable.
I feel that’s inadequate, because it doesn’t explain why (our subconscious mental model of) Mary feels she’s learned something, when she knew in advance that her conscious mind would be put into a specific new state. That’s why I think the key is to look at the mental agent that identifies learning. But I really need to rewrite this bit.
orthonormal, is the following an accurate summary of your approach to the Mary’s Room paradox?
Certain states of Mary’s conscious mind cannot be brought about by any action of her conscious mind. In particular, no sequence of words can put her conscious mind into the state of experiencing red. But effable experiences are just those states of consciousness that can be induced by sequences of words. Therefore, Mary will find the experience of seeing red to be ineffable.
I feel that’s inadequate, because it doesn’t explain why (our subconscious mental model of) Mary feels she’s learned something, when she knew in advance that her conscious mind would be put into a specific new state. That’s why I think the key is to look at the mental agent that identifies learning. But I really need to rewrite this bit.