Functionalism Exam Questions

• mind can be understand in terms of functions i.e memory, pain etc
• example: input one (physical stimulus: hitting wall) + input two (physical stimulus: firing of c-fibres) -> mental state (pain) -> output one (behaviour: wincing), output two (behaviour: swearing), output three (mental state: frustration)

1) overcomes circularity

• dispositions don't explain how mental states cause other mental states but not an associated behavior
• explaining behaviours caused by mental states may require us to talk about other mental states i.e someone feels pain bc they are feeling sadness

2) multiple realisability

• mental states can be reduced to functional states but these aren't tied to any specific part of the brain (like M-BTI theory), despite being physically different, they perform same functions

• define qualia: intrinsic (cannot be analysed in terms of anything else) and non-representational (cannot be representational otherwise they could be analysed in reference to something else in relating the state to the world) properties of mental states
• functionalism argues they don't exist bc they can be fully explained in terms of causal roles (in brain) and so can be classed as functional states

1) inverted qualia

• potential for people who are functionally identical but have different qualia (seeing bananas as purple etc), if all mental states could be reduced to functional states, this should be impossible but there's no inherent contradiction so therefore possible and functionalism is false
  RESPONSE
• Functional difference so functional duplicates with different qualia could not be possible (asking for mood of fruit rather than colour etc)

2) Block's Chinese Mind (functions mapped out from a brain onto Chinese popualtion)
P1 - functionalism holds that all mental states can be reduced to functional states
P2 - functional duplicate of person without qualia is possible
P3 - qualia are mental states
P4 - therefore not all mental states are functional states
C - functionalism is false

3) knowledge argument

• does Mary gain anymore knowledge from actually seeing colour (Qualia)?