Quantities of Qualia (comment by Antti Lindfors)

Relative intensity, or degree change, is ubiquitous and consequential in human social life. Practices of gradation enable social actors to make tacit comparisons and erect thresholds, to perform and reinforce norms, and to gauge relationships between experienced qualities. This article investigates intensity as an object for ethnographic theorization and proposes the active body as a key mediator of degree transformation. It revisits anthropological work on salient materialized qualities ("qualia") and posits gradation as a vital, yet underexplored, element of collectively valued qualia. By examining how intensity manifests across dimensions of practice in the sport of rock climbing-dimensions including difficulty, exertion, strength, and humanness-the article also situates sport as a privileged arena of human praxis through which people distill their own actions into value-laden performances.L'intensit & eacute; relative, ou changement de degr & eacute;, est omnipr & eacute;sente et cons & eacute;quente dans la vie sociale humaine. Les pratiques de gradation permettent aux acteurs sociaux de faire des comparaisons tacites et d'& eacute;riger des seuils, d'ex & eacute;cuter et de renforcer des normes, et d'& eacute;valuer les relations entre les qualit & eacute;s que les gens & eacute;prouvent. Cet article & eacute;tudie l'intensit & eacute; comme objet de la th & eacute;orie ethnographique et propose le corps actif comme m & eacute;diateur cl & eacute; de la transformation des degr & eacute;s. Il revisite les travaux anthropologiques sur les qualit & eacute;s mat & eacute;rialis & eacute;es saillantes (qualia) et positionne la gradation comme un & eacute;l & eacute;ment vital, mais sous-explor & eacute;, des qualia & eacute;valu & eacute;es collectivement. En examinant comment l'intensit & eacute; se manifeste & aacute; travers les dimensions de la pratique dans le sport de l'escalade - dimensions y compris la difficult & eacute;, l'effort, la force et l'humanit & eacute; - l'article situe & eacute;galement le sport comme un domaine privil & eacute;gi & eacute; de la praxis humaine par lequel les gens distillent leurs propres actions en performances charg & eacute;es de valeurs.