Ken Mogi

Ken (Kenichiro) Mogi's mission is to solve the so-called mind-brain problem; to understand how our consciousness full of qualia arise from the billions of neurons firing in the brain. After completing post-doctorate studies at Cambridge University, U.K. he conducts research in Sony's Computer Science Laboratory, Tokyo, and also teaches at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, and Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (Geidai). He writes critical essays on the arts and literature, and is the conceptor for the Qualia Movement of Sony Corporation. Mogi has published 10 books in Japanese (English versions pending), and sometimes appears on Japanese television. He maintains the online Qualia Manifesto, which states: "Qualia are the subjective sensory qualities like "the redness of red" that accompany our perception. Qualia symbolize the explanatory gap that exists between the subjective qualities of our perception and the physical system that we call the brain. Elucidating the neural basis of qualia is central in understanding the principles of the "integrated parallelism" in cortical information processing. The so-called "binding problem" is a typical aspect of the above mentioned "integrated parallelism." The study of qualia is important not only in understanding the neural basis of our conscious mental experience but also in bridging the gap between the "two cultures" (C.P. Snow). The Qualia Manifesto is a mission statement that puts qualia at the center of scientific and cultural movement in years to come."

Related Links

• Ken Mogi's Qualia Journal Blog
• Ken Mogi's The Origin of Consciousness Blog
• Ken Mogi's research home page
• The Qualia Manifesto, by Ken Mogi
• The Qualia Manifesto, Phase 2, by Ken Mogi
• Roger Penrose visits Cambridge, by Ken Mogi
• The Easy and Hard Problems in Cognitive Science, by Ken Mogi
• Towards a Systematic Turn In Cognitive Neuroscience, by Ken Mogi
• Onceness and the Philosopher's Walk, by Ken Mogi
• The Alchemy of the Mind and Beyond (audio), by Ken Mogi
• Response Selectivity, Neuron Doctrine, and Mach's Principle in Perception, by Ken Mogi

Ken Mogi Quotes

The concept of qualia describes the unique properties that accompany our senses. It is an essential concept when we try to understand the principle that bridges the neural firings in our brain and our perception. The idea of qualia is also of crucial importance when we try to study the functions of the brain from an objective point of view. Qualia must be part of the mathematical formulation of information we use to understand the function of the brain.

One of the most puzzling features of the conscious experience is the apparent nonlocality of the neural correlates of percepts. Since every aspect of our subjective experience should be ultimately explained in terms of the mutual relationships between neural firings (Mach's principle), it logically follows that the elements of perception (a.k.a. qualia) are coded nonlocally in terms of the physical processes in the brain. The firing of a single neuron with a particular stimulus selectivity does not suffice. The neuro-physiological data on the neural basis of color perception is compatible with the hypothesis that (e.g.) the quale of red is coded by the cluster of neural activity including those in V1 and V4. Despite this nonlocal nature of the neural correlate, we can subjectively perceive a red spot at a particular position in the visual field. This seemingly nonlocal to local mapping from the cortical activities to the percepts in subjective experience is one of the key features to be explained about consciousness.

The value of a work of art is determined by the quality of sensation, or "Qualia" which are felt when you see it in front of you. It cannot be verbalized It cannot be symbolized It cannot be marketed easily. Surprisingly, even a work of literature, which is the art of words, is determined by the quality of Qualia experienced, that which cannot be verbalized or symbolized. When you look back you realize that the important things in life are all things that cannot be verbalized. That ticklish feeling when you got into a swimming pool with your friend when you were a child. That restless feeling before your first date. That heavy feeling you get when you are in conflict with someone. It originates in ordinary daily living and crystallizes in the promise of the ultimate. When you feel like this in front of a work of art, you call it a masterpiece and are thankful for it. The joy of being alive surges through you. Forget what is already on the market. Stay with your inner, most compelling, sweet, sad Qualia. And sublimate that Qualia into a pop-like style. I hereby declare Qualia fundamentalism.