It is no surprise that laypeople do not grasp/notice that “there is something it is like” to have a qualitative experience, such as seeing red or tasting chicken. What could that possibly mean to them?
Asking someone to report “what it is like” to see red, which is indefinable in terms of non-qualitative experiences, is a useless exercise. We do not notice that there is something it is like to see red, except insofar as we are able to differentiate it from what it is like to see blue, orange, etc. Indeed, why would the words for those experiences be part of the human vocabulary if they did not refer to particular first-hand experiences whose qualities necessarily distinguish them?
Right on, Edouard! Agree 100%
It is no surprise that laypeople do not grasp/notice that “there is something it is like” to have a qualitative experience, such as seeing red or tasting chicken. What could that possibly mean to them?
Asking someone to report “what it is like” to see red, which is indefinable in terms of non-qualitative experiences, is a useless exercise. We do not notice that there is something it is like to see red, except insofar as we are able to differentiate it from what it is like to see blue, orange, etc. Indeed, why would the words for those experiences be part of the human vocabulary if they did not refer to particular first-hand experiences whose qualities necessarily distinguish them?