What does Qualia mean?

The word Qualia feels beautiful to say. Maybe because it leads with the letter Q. A letter-symbol not overly represented, yet, when spoken, words headed by Q are often said deeply with command, strength, energy - the sound of capability. Rarity has that effect. It feels good around the back of the throat as one mouths, quake, quiet, quince, queen, question, quillette – the feeling of the letter Q, is Qualia itself.

A philosophical concept rooted in psychology, there is much debate amongst scientists across disciplines about its nature, scope and implications. It refers to the conscious, subjective and first person experience we have when we taste chocolate, or watch a sunset, or hear the ocean waves or perhaps, in someone’s case, enunciate a Q-word. While it is said to be a unique and solitary experience, the free market industry seem to have found a code to shared Quale given the marketing success of emotional sales strategies such as chocolate for lovers or sunsets for escape or music for the soul.

How do we come to understand the way in which we perceive the world around us? How do you explain the sense of touching someone you love so deeply that you feel the power of that love deep within your soul? And if souls do not exist then where is the place which these feelings go. What about the feeling you get when you read eloquently placed words strung together so poetically which hits you differently than it may do for another. Qualia is individual, raw and intrinsically personal and so, these types of feelings are often private and unable to be transferred to others. Therefore, given its subjective meaning is only being able to be qualified by the consciousness of its supreme sole human barometer, it cannot be imposed on another person to feel the same way.

Philosophically, it has been argued that as Qualia is not physical or scientifically able to be analysed, that they must in fact be considered different to physical objects and processes. Therefore, from a perspective of knowledge acquisition and enquiry, Qualia as subjective experience can only be understood by the person experiencing it. It cannot be quantified which automatically or by default could suggest it a qualitative and phenomenological process. However in saying this it is specifically the analysis only of the individual as opposed to patterns that connect a group or population, though, I feel, that this could be argued.

The name and concept were chosen thoughtfully because while there are universal and uniting truths, we also have individual and subjective truths which are only meaningful to us. In order to find out truths both quantitative and qualitative science and research can provide us with answers to understand people, society and the world. However, The Qualia Groups philosophy of acknowledging the existence of Qualia, means it acknowledges that we do not force others to think or be the same as we are as it is impossible and this act of forcing others to be the same has dire consequences for society. What diversifies us also unite us.

Snowflake

The logo of the snowflake was matched with Qualia to symbolise a mandala of ephemeral or transient perfection. The idea is that each and every snowflake represents a unique and complex structure but all are united in their six-sided crystallised symmetry. A snowflake represents exquisite beauty and perfection but also that this flawlessness and purity is a fleeting and temporary state.

The snowflake is subject to major change and consequential imperfection as it falls through the atmosphere, it’s perfect fractals exposed to the elements and as it lowers closer towards the ground they are no longer intact but a representation of the impact of the environment and journey it led. It is an analogy that can be related to human beings problematic search for a place of permanent perfection as opposed to accepting that while we have permanent and foundational aspects of who were are, the way we are and how we see the world is also strongly representative of the way in which our environment interacted with us. The sooner we know this, the sooner we can work hard to move forward and succeed as opposed to seeking a perfect world without threat which does not exist.