Qualia

Summary

Qualia are not fundamental properties and not private mental substances. They are the experienced aspect of a system that maintains a persistent, recursive, self-referential record of its own state over time.
In RDD, qualia emerge when a perspective does not merely recurse, but recurses over its own records, producing a structured internal history that is accessible to itself.

Definition

Qualia are the phenomenological manifestation of recursive record-keeping within a perspective, grounded in persistent distinctions, ordered in time, and stabilized against noise.
They correspond to what it is like for a system to be itself because the system carries a differentiated internal history.
Formally (conceptually, not mathematically):
[
\Phi = f(P,; R,; \text{Record},; t)
]
Where:

(P) is a Perspective,
(R) is Recursion mediated by records,
(t) is Time as ordered state change.

Scope

This note covers emergence, structure, and phenomenology. It does not introduce new primitives.

Structural Introspection

Atoms Used (Declared Dependencies)

Qualia:
- Perspective
- Persistent Distinction
- Record (Memory Substrate)
- Recursion
- Time
- Existence
- Noise
- Constraint

Dependency semantics

This list represents explicit conceptual dependencies, not incidental mentions.

Atoms Referencing This Molecule (Backlinks)

File	Atom	topics	created
Time	Time	Recursive Distinction Dynamics Dynamics Thermodynamics Time	November 22, 2025
Recursion	Recursion	Recursive Distinction Dynamics Dynamics Cybernetics Systems Theory	November 22, 2025
Perspective	Perspective	Recursive Distinction Dynamics Information Reference Frames	November 22, 2025

Interpretation

These atoms reference this molecule but may not be foundational to it.

Atom Mentions Not Declared as Dependencies

File	Atom	topics
Perspective	Perspective	Recursive Distinction Dynamics Information Reference Frames
Recursion	Recursion	Recursive Distinction Dynamics Dynamics Cybernetics Systems Theory
Time	Time	Recursive Distinction Dynamics Dynamics Thermodynamics Time

Hygiene check

If an atom appears here, consider whether it should be added to atoms:.

Source Status

Internal RDD synthesis: ☐
External alignment (physics): ☐
External alignment (philosophy): ☐
External alignment (neuroscience): ☐

Confidence level

☐ Exploratory
☐ Provisional
☐ Stable

How qualia arise (RDD derivation)

Qualia appear only when all of the following are present:

Persistent Distinctions
The system maintains internal states that resist noise.
Records
Past distinctions are stored and carried forward.
Recursive Update
Current processing depends on prior records.
Perspective
Records are integrated relative to a stable internal reference frame.
Self-access
Some records encode aspects of the system’s own state or activity.

When any of these are missing, there is structure but no experience.

Implications

Rocks
Maintain distinctions, but lack recursive self-records.
→ No qualia.
Thermostats
Have records and feedback, but minimal depth and no self-model.
→ Trivial or vanishing qualia.
Brains
Maintain deep, layered, self-referential recursive records.
→ Rich, structured qualia.

Qualia therefore scale with recursive depth and self-modeling, not with intelligence or biological status per se.

What qualia are not

Qualia are not:

fundamental particles or fields,
non-physical properties,
detached from physical dynamics,
all-or-nothing phenomena.

They are graded, structured, and contingent.

Anti-Patterns

Treating qualia as ontologically primitive.
Equating qualia with raw sensory input.
Assuming “experience” without memory.
Collapsing qualia into language or reportability.

Conflicts

Panpsychist accounts that treat experience as fundamental.
Views that decouple experience from memory or temporal structure.

FAQ

Do all recursive systems have qualia?
No. Only systems with persistent, self-referential records.

Is this panpsychism?
No. Most systems lack the required structure.

Can qualia be measured?
Indirectly, via recursive depth, record persistence, and self-model complexity.

References (contextual)

Source: Dennett, D. C. (1991). Consciousness explained (1. paperback ed). Little, Brown.
- Key: @dennettConsciousnessExplained1991
- Use here: Treats consciousness as real patterns and narrative continuity; aligns with qualia as structured internal history rather than intrinsic properties.
Source: Tononi, G. (2008). Consciousness as Integrated Information: A Provisional Manifesto. The Biological Bulletin, 215(3), 216–242. https://doi.org/10.2307/25470707
- Key: @tononiConsciousnessIntegratedInformation2008
- Use here: Serves as a contrast case; shares concern with structure and integration but differs in primitives and ontological commitments.
Source: Crutchfield, J. P. (1994). The calculi of emergence: Computation, dynamics and induction. Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena, 75(1–3), 11–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-2789(94)90273-9
- Key: @crutchfieldCalculiEmergenceComputation1994
- Use here: Provides formal grounding for emergence, recursion, and structure-dependent dynamics.
Source: Friston, K. (2010). The free-energy principle: A unified brain theory? Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11(2), 127–138. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2787
- Key: @fristonFreeenergyPrincipleUnified2010
- Use here: Partial overlap via prediction, persistence, and constraint-driven dynamics without adopting the full framework.

Re-contextualization Log

Use this to record meaningful changes in framing, scope, or claims.
Keep entries short. Prefer facts over narrative.

Date: 2025-12-29
Change: Aligned molecule structure to template
Reason: Template standardization
Impact: No semantic changes; content preserved
Sources touched: none
Next check: Verify atoms list and dataview sections

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