Believe it or not, you have just raised a philosophical problem to do with the existence of 'qualia'. Here's a story (see Hofstadter and Dennett, The Mind's I):<o =""></o><o =""></o> Once upon a time, there were two coffee tasters, Mr. Chase and Mr. Sanborn, who worked for Maxwell House. Along with half a dozen other coffee tasters, their job was to ensure that the taste of Maxwell House stayed constant, year after year. One day, about six years after Mr. Chase had come to work for Maxwell House, he cleared his throat and confessed to Mr. Sanborn:<o =""></o>
“You know, I hate to admit it, but I’m not enjoying this work any more. When I came to Maxwell House six years ago, I thought Maxwell House coffee was the best-tasting coffee in the world. I was proud to have a share in the responsibility for preserving that flavour over the years. And we’ve done our job well; the coffee tastes today just the way it tasted when I arrived. But, you know, I no longer like it! My tastes have changed. I’ve become a more sophisticated coffee drinker. I no longer like that taste at all."
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Sanborn greeted this revelation with considerable interest. “It’s funny you should mention it,” he replied, “for something rather similar has happened to me. When I arrived here, shortly before you did, I, like you, thought Maxwell House coffee was tops in flavour. And now I, like you, really don’t care for the coffee we’re making. But my tastes haven’t changed; my ... tasters have changed. That is, I think something has gone wrong with my taste buds or something—you know, the way your taste buds go off when you take a bite of pancakes and maple syrup and then go back to your orange juice? Maxwell House coffee doesn’t taste to me the way it used to taste; if only it did, I’d still love it, for I still think that taste is the best taste in coffee. Now, I’m not saying we haven’t done our job well. You other guys all agree that the taste is the same, so it must be my problem alone. I guess I’m no longer cut out for this work.”
<o =""> </o>How do you tell the difference between these two people’s situations? Beer is an acquired taste—you gradually learn to like the flavour; but what flavour? The flavour of the first sip? But that flavour was horrible. What you do is acquire a different enjoyable way of tasting.
If you think you can confirm your opinions about your own tastes, then there is a possibility you might be wrong!
Sorry about that. You have got my mouth watering for Lemon Crisps now.
