DO QUALIA EXIST?

Do Qualia Exist?



Do Qualia Exist?

Introduction

In this paper I explore the logical relationship between the question of the reality of qualia and the problem of universals. I argue that nominalism is inconsistent with the existence of qualia, and that realism either implies or makes plausible the existence of qualia. Thus, one's position on the existence of qualia is strongly constrained by one's answer to the problem of universals.

Analysis

The question of the reality of qualia is one of the most contentious issues in the philosophy of mind today. This question has many angles and facets; I will not try to summarize all aspects of the question here. Instead, I will point out a little-noticed feature of this question: its dependence upon another, seemingly unrelated, philosophical problem. Specifically, I will contend that the answer to the question "Do qualia exist?" depends upon the answer to the problem of universals (Sharlow, 2001). This latter problem is a very old philosophical issue which, at first glance, would seem to have little to do with present-day debates about the nature of consciousness.1 I will argue that the solution that one adopts for the problem of universals constrains, and may even completely determine, the positions that one consistently can take with regard to the existence of qualia. One's answer to the problem of universals may force one (logically speaking) to deny the existence of qualia, to accept the existence of qualia across the board, or to hold that some kinds of qualia exist and others do not. Since most arguments for or against qualia make no contact with the problem of universals, it is likely that most such arguments leave out something important (Schneider, 2008).

Qualia and the Nature of Properties

If qualia are anything, they are properties. Some philosophers tend to speak as though qualia are features of experiences, or else features of mental states or of brain states. Other philosophers speak as though qualia are properties that exist within experience; this amounts to saying that qualia are properties that things seem to have. In either case, qualia are portrayed, either explicitly or implicitly, as properties. Some proponents of qualia might find that their conceptions of qualia do not quite fit into this mold (Dennett, 1991). In particular, there is a tendency to speak of qualia as if they were much like sense-data, traditionally conceived, and hence more like things or events than properties. But even if one speaks this way, one can think of qualia as features that things seem to have, and hence as properties of sorts. If this view is correct (and I will assume for now that it is), then the answer to the question "Do qualia exist?" depends in part upon the answer to the question "Do properties exist?"

The problem of universals, in simplest terms, is the question of whether multiply exemplifiable abstract entities, such as properties and relations, are real. Since qualia are properties, the set of positions that one consistently can hold with regard to the existence ...