Jackson's Argument Using The Ability Response

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Lewis tried to undermine Jackson’s argument using the ability response. This response distinguishes between ‘knowledge how’ and knowledge that’. Consider two examples:
1. Sue knows that water is H20
2. Sue knows how to swim
If we compare the types of knowledge, we can see that example one is a case of factual learning, whereas example two is a case of ability. There is something inherently different about learning a fact and learning a skill. Knowledge that something is, does not equate to knowing how to do something. Lewis argued that Mary does not gain knowledge in terms of facts but in terms of ability, “She gains know-how not knowledge that” . He argued what Mary gains is the ability to imagine, remember and recognize colours and these are all examples of knowledge-how or abilities. It is these abilities that Mary lacks before she leaves the room and she only procures them when she sees colour for the first time. Lewis expressed the view that because physicalism has no position when it comes to abilities, physicalism is not proved false in …show more content…

To understand the relationship between the physical world and consciousness, Jackson adopts epiphenomenalism . This is the theory that phenomenal qualia are caused by, but do not cause physical phenomena. However, the knowledge argument states Mary gains knowledge when she leaves the room as she experiences new qualia. This cannot be the case if epiphenomenalism is correct. Qualia do not affect the physical world so how can qualia increase a person’s knowledge? Jackson cannot consistently maintain both epiphenomenalism and the knowledge argument. To justify Jackson’s acceptance of both, I believe the sort of epiphenomenalism Jackson defends implies, not that qualia are inefficacious, but only that they have no effect on physical phenomena. Jackson could reply that knowledge from senses is not a physical phenomenon so qualia could cause Mary to gain

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