Enriched category as a model of qualia structure based on similarity judgements.
Naotsugu Tsuchiya, Steven Phillips, Hayato Saigo
Consciousness and Cognition May 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2022.103319 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPerceived similarity between conscious experiences can be quantified, and category theory offers a framework for modeling these relationships. Earlier work treated similarity as binary—either present or absent—but many experiences involve graded levels of similarity. This paper introduces enriched category theory, which replaces binary arrows with more flexible relations, such as a measure of perceived dissimilarity. The authors argue that enriched categories can accommodate various types of conscious experiences. A key implication is that the Yoneda lemma in enriched category theory allows a quale to be characterized by its collection of relationships to other qualia, up to an enriched isomorphism.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Consciousness Enriched category Qualia Similarity |
| Key finding | Proposes that enriched category theory can model graded similarity relationships between qualia, and that the Yoneda lemma allows a quale to be characterized by its relational profile. |
Abstract
Qualitative relationships between two instances of conscious experiences can be quantified through the perceived similarity. Previously, we proposed that by defining similarity relationships as arrows and conscious experiences as objects, we can define a category of qualia in the context of category theory. However, the example qualia categories we proposed were highly idealized and limited to cases where perceived similarity is binary: either present or absent without any gradation. Here, we introduce enriched category theory to address the graded levels of similarity that arises in many instances of qualia. Enriched categories generalize the concept of a relation between objects as a directed arrow (or morphism) in ordinary category theory to a more flexible notion, such as a measure of distance. As an alternative relation, here we propose a graded measure of perceived dissimilarity between the two objects. We claim that enriched categories accommodate various types of conscious experiences. An important consequence of this claim is the application of the Yoneda lemma in enriched category; we can characterize a quale through a collection of relationships between the quale and the other qualia up to an (enriched) isomorphism.