Back in high school, I often asked my friends a question:
"Do you think the red that you see is the same as the red I see?"
This month’s Newton Magazine had a cover story on the brain and consciousness, and it introduced the term qualia to define this question—not just about color but about all phenomena.
"Are your qualia the same as mine?"
Apparently, there is still no way to verify this question. It seems that the same proof of the identity of qualia might be necessary before we can truly discuss and argue about the thoughts of others in any meaningful way. A rather contemplative thought for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
By the way, as I read Newton every month, I can’t help but wonder: aren’t science and the humanities ultimately asking the same questions, just in different ways?