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What the Ship of Theseus Tells Us about Qualia

September 4, 2019

Philosophy

consciousness, identity, philosophy, subjectivity

If you feel helpless reading the title, bear with me. I’ll explain it all in a moment. If you do know what the “Ship of Theseus” refers to, you might still be wondering what’s the connection between the Ship of Theseus and qualia. That’s what this post attempts to ponder on.

First things first, especially for those who are not familiar with either the Ship of Theseus or qualia. That is, first let’s see some brief definitions – at this point I only offer the definitions; analysis will follow right after.

The Ship of Theseus is the name given to a thought experiment known since the 5th century BCE. It’s related to the metaphysics of identity.

Qualia is the name given to individual instances of subjective experience. When you see a red flower, the “redness of red”, the way you, specifically perceive it, is qualia.

ship of theseus qualia
This specific ship is not the Ship of Theseus, and qualia does not refer to you seeing the picture. But whether the act of “seeing the picture” can be objective, the experience of “seeing the pictureness of the picture” is subjective.
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Fate Leads the Willing; the Unwilling it Drags: Meaning and Significance

August 17, 2019

Philosophy

change, fate, injustice, meaning, subjectivity

What a wonderful thing to say, right? Fate leads the willing; the unwilling it drags. You might have also seen some variation of it, such as Fate leads the willing and drags along the reluctant. Originally this was written by the Roman poet Seneca – ducunt volentem fata, nolentem trahunt, if you want the Latin version.

There have been many interpretations of this short quote. After all, this is the way art operates.

For some, Seneca’s words describe something stoic, making you “suffer/ The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune“.

Others perhaps might see something optimistic in it. I’ve seen at least one person having tattooed “Fate Leads the Willing” on their arm – indeed in Latin.

My personal opinion differs from both these approaches. I subscribe to neither utter stoicism nor manic optimism.

Fate Leads the Willing
Fate leads the willing; the unwilling it drags.
The key is in understanding what both “leads” and “drags” mean in this context
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The Difference between Nihilism and Fatalism

July 28, 2019

Philosophy

fatalism, life, meaning, nihilism, philosophy, thought

For some of you, the point of the title might be absurd. “The difference between nihilism and fatalism?” you might ask with incredulity. “Why, these two are the exact opposite of each other!”

But I’ve learned the lesson well: Never assume anything. This is especially the case when it comes to other people’s ideas. For a long time I naively assumed that if I could see the truth of something, others would too. But, apparently, self-delusion is what many people prefer.

In actual fact, most people to whom I’ve talked about nihilism seem to confuse it either with fatalism or depression. Let’s get this latter part out of the way: depression is, according to the American Psychiatric Association, “a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act.”

difference between nihilism and fatalism
The difference between nihilism and fatalism is chaotic. The two are basically the exact opposite of each other.

Depression is an illness. Nihilism and fatalism are philosophical viewpoints.

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