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Mary's Room: A philosophical thought experiment - Eleanor Nelsen

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Imagine a neuroscientist who has only ever seen black and white things, but she is an expert in color vision and knows everything about its physics and biology. If, one day, she sees color, does she learn anything new? Is there anything about perceiving color that wasn’t captured in her knowledge? Eleanor Nelsen explains what this thought experiment can teach us about experience.

Which philosophical theory states that everything, including mental states, has a physical explanation?

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Meet The Creators

  • Educator Eleanor Nelsen
  • Director Maxime Dupuy
  • Animator Maxime Dupuy, Arnold Feder
  • Editor Maxime Dupuy
  • Designer Maxime Dupuy
  • Art Director Maxime Dupuy
  • Storyboard Artist Maxime Dupuy
  • Illustrator Maxime Dupuy
  • Character Designer Maxime Dupuy
  • Composer Martin Pinon
  • Associate Producer Jessica Ruby
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

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