Knowledge Tree
Home Research Docs About
Maya ↔ pain

Relations (1)

cross_type 2.32 — strongly supporting 4 facts

Maya is the central character in a thought experiment used to explore the nature of pain, as described in [1], [2], [3], and [4].

Facts (4)

Sources
Resolving the evolutionary paradox of consciousness link.springer.com Springer 4 facts
claimThe author argues that the Maya thought experiment does not demonstrate that someone experiencing pain for the first time would immediately predict that the sensation is inherently repulsive and must be avoided.
claimThe author argues that the Maya thought experiment fails because it conflates the sensation of pain with the visceral invocation of bodily harm, specifically a nail through the foot.
claimThe author contends that even if a modified thought experiment removed the imagery of bodily harm, it would still be impossible to consider pain in isolation because humans have a lifetime of associations between pain and bodily harm.
accountSiri Hustvedt Mørch uses a thought experiment involving a girl named Maya, who has a congenital insensitivity to pain that is suddenly cured, to argue that pain has intrinsic phenomenal powers. Upon feeling pain for the first time after stepping on a nail, Maya would immediately understand that the sensation is repulsive and should be avoided, without needing to learn this through repeated associations.