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Functionalism is very similar to physicalism. An interesting corollary to functionalism is that mental states are "said to be realized on multiple levels." In o
by solipsist 16y ago
Functionalism is very similar to physicalism. An interesting corollary to functionalism is that mental states are "said to be realized on multiple levels." In other words, computers and other systems could have the same sense sense of identity as humans.
From Wikipedia's article on Functionalism:
"Since mental states are identified by a functional role, they are said to be realized on multiple levels; in other words, they are able to be manifested in various systems, even perhaps computers, so long as the system performs the appropriate functions. While computers are physical devices with electronic substrate that perform computations on inputs to give outputs, so brains are physical devices with neural substrate that perform computations on inputs which produce behaviors."
Just something interesting to think about...
- JoeAltmaier 16y agoAll well and good to decribe the process of "identifying" mental states. But we all know, being inside of a brain and thinking as we read this, that something other than behavior is involved with consciousness.
- ppod 16y ago"But we all know, being inside of a brain and thinking as we read this, that something other than behavior is involved with consciousness You shouldn't say "we all know". I definitely don't know that.
- JoeAltmaier 16y agoSo there is no ego inside your head, no awareness of yourself? Am I talking to a spam bot or something? But you're right, I should have said "I know" since I can't know what's in your head.
- ppod 16y agoI think that 'ego' and 'awareness' are abstractions we have invented in order to communicate about how we experience our perceptions, memories, and actions subjectively. However all of these perceptions, memories, emotions, and actions are, fundamentally, behaviours implemented by neurons, as is the 'subjective' self-aware experiencing that we do. It is all 'behaviour'.
- JoeAltmaier 16y agoYour words give lie to that - in order to "experience our perceptions" there has to be a 'me' in there. You know what I'm talking about - the guy in your head that you are aware of at all times. Behavior is observed from the outside. But what about that 'feeling' you get inside your own head, that you are really there? The act of observing it means you are something else than the behavior.
- ppod 16y agoNot really. In a programming language, for example, there is a feature called 'introspection' where the program can examine an object in memory as it runs and determine its type. It doesn't mean the program is self aware. I can think about how I experienced something - but it's just a neural computation 'about' another neural computation. No magic.