When Homo sapiens began to notice qualia in the mind, in addition to the qualia that our senses sense in the outer landscape, we begin to have ideas. Qualia, throughout evolution, has arrived through our senses, as signs in the environment. We notice signs, and react to them, generally without thought. The qualia in the mind acts symbolically. First, we may choose NOT to react to it. Secondly, we may choose to hold it in the mind, as a conception.
Imagine, for instance, the qualia of a snowflake. The sheen of whiteness on the outside, or the coldness that emanates outwardly from it, tells the animal in us to “find shelter.” But there is a still another sort of qualia, within a snowflake. There is the hexagon around which the snowflake has formed itself. Without the hexagon, the snowflake would not endure for long.
The hexagon in a snowflake has no real, material existence. Take away the frozen water molecules and the hexagon is gone; it was, however, never actually, scientifically measurable in the first place. Yet we are aware of it — it is a conception, a symbol, and the more we contemplate it, the more it grows in importance. For instance, while the hexagon, like the snowflake, is imperfect, we can visualize its perfection. All qualia in the mind shares this potential.
Our awareness of the qualia within our minds makes us realize that there is qualia within everything, holding everything together, and helping everything endure, and potentially revealing the way to perfection. Qualia in the mind does not merely give us ideas, but ideals. The self is an ideal. Consciousness is an ideal. Humankind is an ideal, filled with visions of perfection. The Earth, too, reveals perfection, in the cooperative balance of its ecosystems.
As life and landscapes become more complex, so do the ecosystems which hold them together. But whether it be ecosystems, consciousness, or some immaterial pattern, it is the qualia within — within ourselves, and within all matter — which holds all of us together. The qualia within makes any matter — living creature or landscape — greater than the sum of its parts. Ideally, our inner qualia, our consciousness, and our ecosystems are really one and all the same.