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(1995) Synthese 104 (1).
Neural impulses from the senses to the brain convey information, not sensation. The direct electrical stimulation of the cortex produces sensations. Hence, such sensations are evoked in the brain, and not received from the senses, nor from the outside world through the senses. More specifically, the experience of light is evoked in the brain and not received from the eyes. Consequently, the born blind, too, would experience light in response to electrical brain stimulation. The luminosity of light is not a property of electromagnetic radiation. If the experience of light is private, then so are the visual observations it makes possible.
Publication details
DOI: 10.1007/BF01063679
Full citation:
Alroy, D. (1995). Inner light. Synthese 104 (1), pp. 147-160.
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