Inverted Qualia
Updated 2026-09-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Inverted qualia are a family of thought experiments, the most popular being variants of Locke's spectrum inversion: the visual experiences caused by strawberries and ripe tomatoes are just like those we actually have when looking at grass and cucumbers, and vice versa. Such scenarios are widely used in contemporary philosophy of mind to test theories of consciousness.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Functional testing: imagine subjects with identical function but swapped experiences, and check whether a theory leaves out the phenomenal level. - Difference explanation: explain why subjective reports may reflect genuine differences even when functional indicators agree.
Anchor fast decisions
The pivot of the argument is the separability of function from phenomenology: if two people are identical in functional organization, behavioral response, and linguistic usage, yet their phenomenal experiences swap red and green, then qualia cannot be exhausted by functional role. This conceivability is usually pushed further into metaphysical possibility, against functionalism and representationalism.
MINIMUM ACTION
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Source support: Explicit
- plato.stanford.eduhttps://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qualia-inverted/verified
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