A Difference That Makes a Difference: Passing through Dennett's Stalinesque/Orwellian Impasse

Dennett and Kinsbourne ([1992]) argue that metacontrast backward visual masking provides a clear illustration that ‘there is really only a verbal difference’ between two versions of the Cartesian Theater model of the mind. This alleged lack of a distinction is both the crucial premise of their main argument against the Cartesian Theater and a motivator for accepting their own Multiple Drafts model. I argue that metacontrast reveals a difference between the two versions of the Cartesian Theater that meets criteria found in (Dennett and Kinsbourne [1992]) for determining such a difference. This difference undermines the soundness of their argument against the Cartesian Theater, and exerts pressure on Dennett and Kinsbourne to offer a more detailed articulation of their model. 1. Introduction 2. Brief Explanation of Metacontrast Backward Visual Masking 3. The Stalinesque and Orwellian Models of Metacontrast 3.1. Criteria for determining a difference 4. A Difference That Makes a Difference 4.1. Skeptical hypothesis objection 5. Other Objections and Replies 5.1. Straw person objection 5.2. Corroborative issues objection 6. Conclusion