qualia
KWAH-lee-uh
/ˈkwɑː.li.ə/
Individual instances of subjective, conscious experience (such as the redness of a rose or the pain of a headache).
Plural noun (singular: quale). Refers strictly to the raw, felt quality of subjective sensory experiences.
The story behind the word. Plural of Latin 'quale' (a property or quality). Introduced into modern philosophy by C.S. Peirce in 1866.
Word relationships
- subjective experiences: Qualia is the formal technical philosophical term for individual qualitative experiences.
Commonly confused with
- quality: Quality refers to characteristics or grade, qualia refers strictly to subjective inner experience.
Word family
- quale (noun): Singular form of qualia.
Collocations
- subjective qualia
- phenomenal qualia
- nature of qualia
Example sentences
- "The inverted spectrum thought experiment asks whether your qualia when seeing red match mine." Philosophy of mind
Memory hook
QUALIA = QUALITY of inner feeling. The feeling quality of experience.
When not to use
Do not use to describe general qualities or features of physical objects.
Fun facts
- Frank Jackson's famous Mary the Color Scientist thought experiment was designed to prove qualia exist.
Related words
Explore more words
phenomenology, subjectivity, subjective, sensation, hedonic, synesthesia
Also appears in
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