Ep. 222: Debating Functionalism (Block, Chalmers) (Part One)

The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast

Mark Linsenmayer

Casey, Paskin, Philosophy, Linsenmayer, Society & Culture, Alwan

4.6 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 29 July 2019

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On Ned Block's "Troubles with Functionalism" (1978) and David Chalmers's "Absent Qualia, Fading Qualia, Dancing Qualia" (1995).

If mental states are functional states, there couldn't be zombies. Yet Block claims that there could be zombies: for example, a functional duplicate of you whose components are actually citizens of China obeying algorithmic rules. Even if the resulting system acts like you, it obviously isn't conscious. Chalmers argues that you'd then need to explain the experiences of a creature half way between you and the zombie, but you can't, so Block's argument doesn't work and functionalism is left standing. What do you think? Do you hate weird thought experiments like these?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Partially examine life relies on your support.
0:02.2	To find out how to help, in ways that are cheap or even free for you,
0:05.5	check out partiallyexaminalife.com slash support.
0:08.4	[♪ OUTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪
0:16.2	You're listening to the Partially examined life, a podcast by some guys who at one point
0:19.7	said on doing philosophy for living, but then thought better of it.
0:22.8	Our question for episode 222 is still what is the mind
0:26.6	and we're considering arguments attacking functionalism through Ned Blocks,
0:30.4	troubles with functionalism from 1978, and defenses against some of these attacks
0:35.1	and David Chalmers essay, absent qualia fading qualia dancing qualia from 1993.
0:41.1	For more information, please visit partiallyexaminalife.com.
0:44.3	This is Mark Linton Meyer with qualia dancing the macarena in medicine Wisconsin.
0:49.3	[♪ OUTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪
0:51.4	This is Seth Paskin, parented, agmatically embodied in Austin, Texas.
0:55.8	This is Wes L1 in Cambridge, but supervening on the economy of Bolivia.
1:01.8	Alright, we are back to Ned Blocks, who in preparation for our interview with him next
1:08.1	episode, very exciting.
1:10.8	This is basically the second half of episode 221.
1:14.9	Our four part episode, which is itself, was the second part of our 218-219.
1:20.6	We've done a lot of these damn things.
1:22.6	I'm sure the fans love it.
1:26.6	We had another Chalmers paper this time, which was shorter, yet equally lucid and pleasant
	...

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