Abstract
(1) As regards the difficulty involved in counting sensation qualities, the point of difference between Prof. Titchener and myself is subtle, but philosophically interesting. I think we may both admit that the question cannot be settled by considerations of purely formal logic. In fact, Prof. Titchener's two premisses logically lead to the conclusion that “One sensation a is not the same as another sensation a, although the two are, ex hypothesi indistinguishable.” The question between us is as to the interpretation of the relation “not the same as” in this connection. My contention is that the one and the other sensation differ—not merely numerically or extrinsically—but qualitatively or intrinsically. Since the one sensation a is distinguishable from d, and the other sensation a is not distinguishable from d, it seems to me that this difference between them cannot be referred to merely extrinsic conditions, but must depend on a sensationally qualitative difference in the sensation-qualities themselves.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
JOHNSON, W. The Problem of the Sense Qualities. Nature 55, 295 (1897). https://doi.org/10.1038/055295a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/055295a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.