[Serious Phil] Rejecting the Hypothesis of Phenomenal Information

[Joseph Polanik]

larry_tapper wrote:

 >Joe P writes:

 >JP>  ...Lewis characterizes this (alleged) information as 'phenomenal
 >information' which means that it is (alleged) information about
 >phenomenality, experience or qualia.

 >JP>  however, while he admits being unable to refute what he calls the
 >hypothesis of phenomenal information, he rejects it anyway --- to save
 >materialism...

 >posting the latter paragraph for the second time this week.

 >Joe, I hope you are not insinuating that Lewis simply refused to accept
 >the KA on ideological grounds, without bothering to flesh out the
 >counter-argument, because he had none.

I wasn't; but, now that you mention it ... Lewis' acceptance of such a
lame counter-argument (phenomenal information seems peculiar to me) is
hard to explain.

 >The relevant passage is this one, from the essay What Experience
 >Teaches:

 >"The knowledge argument works. There is no way to grant the hypothesis
 >of phenomenal information and still uphold materialism. Therefore I
 >deny the hypothesis. I cannot refute it outright. But later I shall
 >argue, first, that it is more peculiar, and therefore less tempting,
 >that it may at first seem; and, second, that we are not forced to
 >accept it, since an alternative hypothesis does justice to the way
 >experience best teaches us what it's like."

 >http://faculty.washington.edu/bonjour/PHIL463/Lewis.pdf

 >A moment of candor such as one rarely finds on the Internet. And one of
 >the reasons why Lewis was so widely admired.

 >But the structure of the argument is: while Lewis does not see a
 >refutation, he does see an at least equally compelling alternative
 >hypothesis.

what is that alternate hypothesis, in your view?

in my view, the alternatives are that there is phenomenal information;
and, that there is no phenomenal information.

unfortunately, basing one's choice between them on which one seems less
peculiar only leads to an impasse.

Joe


-- 

Nothing Unreal is Self-Aware

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