Abstract
Quale is defined, and examples of qualia are given. Their relation to conscious and the “intentionality” thereof is explained. The philosophical context in which qualia are embedded is reviewed, and since qualia are so subjective, their relationship to sociology and its basic unit of analysis is clarified. Next quale is related to intersubjectivity since their subjectivity seems so opposed to it also. Dualism becomes relevant again and G.H. Mead’s use of transaction as a way out of dualism is once again reviewed. Quale is then related to Descartes’s Cogito ergo sum – I think therefore I am. Quale is related to sensations and tangible objects as well as science. David Chalmers’ work on consciousness is addressed since quale is that of which we are conscious.
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Notes
- 1.
But see M. Gazzaniga, Consciousness and the Social Brain. (2013).
References
Chalmers, D. (2002). Philosophy of mind: Classical and contemporary readings. New York: Oxford University Press.
Emirbayer, M. (1997). Manifesto for a relational sociology. American Journal of Sociology, 103(2), 324–341.
Gazzaniga, M. (2013). Consciousness and the social brain. New York: Oxford University Press.
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Franks, D.D. (2019). Consciousness, Qualia, and Subjective Experience. In: Neurosociology: Fundamentals and Current Findings. SpringerBriefs in Sociology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1600-8_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1600-8_5
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