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▲ RGS1811 3 hours ago

I guess I'd say that your qualia aren't a something, but they're not a nothing either. We can't say what they are. They're not publicly describable, and therefore not publicly attributable. As Wittgenstein would say, "They cancel out."

And as I think Dennett himself would say, qualia are just Sellars's Given rearing its ugly head again.

▲PaulDavisThe1st 2 hours ago | parent [-]

Well, while I love much of Dennett's work, I emailed him after "Consciousness Explained" was published to say that I was disappointed that it appeared to describe what we are conscious of, not how we are conscious. He sent back a short note to say "You're probably right".