Qualia! (Now Showing at a Theater near You)
Philosophical Topics 1994 DOI: 10.5840/philtopics1994221/27 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 33 |
| Key points | Argues against critics, particularly Dan Dennett, who dismiss 'Qualia!' as unrealistic and kitschy and blame 'cartoonsian' theater and its audiences for such work; the author sets out to summarize the issues and respond to these charges using excerpts from the playbill. |
Abstract
Despite such widespread acclaim, there are some influential theater critics who have panned Qualia ! most recently and vehemently, Dan Dennett. In his review, Quining Qualia,1 he laments several characters of Qualia ! as unrealistic and even kitschy. This literary criticism begets social criticism in Dennett's Consciousness Explained ,2 where he puts the blame for Qualia ! and similar productions on any cartoonsian theater that promotes them, and ultimately on the rather imperceptive audience itself. My aim here is to respond to these charges. I first summarize the issues at stake, with brief excerpts from Qualia!' s playbill.