Qualitativeness of Consciousness: Genesis of the Problem in Ancient Philosophy
Siberian Journal of Philosophy 2019 DOI: 10.25205/2541-7517-2019-17-1-147-153 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that the problem field of qualia was formed in ancient philosophy and that the idea of the subjectivity of experience, later rethought as the problem of universals, accompanies questions about human consciousness throughout the history of philosophy, challenging the view that the term's novelty undermines its legitimacy. |
Abstract
Speaking about the philosophy of mind researchers address the concept of «qualia». In spite of the fact that this term entered the philosophical discourse at the beginning of the 20th century, the legitimacy of its use is still in question. The starting methodological point of the dispute is whether it is necessary to study the quality nature of consciousness separately or we can treat this problem as part of the language description of the functional activity of the brain. One of arguments in favor of the latter point of view is the novelty of the term. The author provides arguments that the problem field of qualia was formed in ancient philosophy. Rethought later as the problem of universals, the idea of the subjectivity of experience accompanies in the history of philosophy the questions related to human consciousness.