Functionalism (again) Benefits and Problems (aka Good ...

What's so good about functionalism?

1. It is neutral with regard to what the mind is made out of.

Functionalism (again)

Benefits and Problems (aka Good Things/Bad Things)

What's so good about functionalism?

1. It is neutral with regard to what the mind is made out of.

2. Through the notion of an internal state, it explains:

a) both what is the same about each person (they share the same Turing Table of human psychology) but also..

What's so good about functionalism?

1. It is neutral with regard to what the mind is made out of.

2. Through the notion of an internal state, it explains:

a) both what is the same about each person (they share the same Turing Table of human psychology) but also...

b) why each person is unique--why two people, in the very same circumstance, will often react differently.

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Two people can react differently because they are in different internal states.

And they are in different internal states because their histories, to date, have been quite different.

S0

S1

S2

S3

S4

S5

Q

-- S2 W S0

-- S3 -- S4 -- S5

W S0

-- S1 W 3Q W S0 W Q

L

S0

S0

W

W

T W 3Q L +3Q W L S0 L Q

S0

S0

S0

Here, for example, are two different states, S1 and S3, of our Machine.. Each each state defines how the Machine will behave given a particular input. Thus

the state which the machine is in determines what it will do.

In other words, we are just like the drink machine, except our Turing Table--what is in effect the sum total of our understanding of human psychology--is much much, much, more, complicated.

Of course, we are far more complicated given... 1. The sheer range of human "inputs" (everything that can happen to us--the sum of human experience).

In other words, we are just like the drink machine, except our Turing Table--what is in effect the sum total of our understanding of human psychology--is much much, much, more, complicated.

Of course, we are far more complicated given... 1. The sheer range of human "inputs" (everything that can happen to us--the sum of human experience). 2. The number and diversity of internal states.

2

In other words, we are just like the drink machine, except our Turing Table--what is in effect the sum total of our understanding of human psychology--is much much, much, more, complicated.

Of course, we are far more complicated given...

1. The sheer range of human "inputs" (everything that can happen to us--the sum of human experience).

2. The number and diversity of internal states.

3. The astounding range of human actions and behaviors.

Finally...

What's so good about functionalism?

1. It is neutral with regard to what the mind is made out of.

2. Through the notion of an internal state, it explains: a) both what is the same about each person (they share the same Turing Table of human psychology) but also...

b) why each person is unique--why two people, in the very same circumstance, will often react differently.

3. The issue of the privacy of the human mind is resolved.

What's so good about functionalism?

1. It is neutral with regard to what the mind is made out of.

2. Through the notion of an internal state, it explains:

a) both what is the same about each person (they share the same Turing Table of human psychology) but also...

b) why each person is unique--why two people, in the very same circumstance, will often react differently.

3. The issue of the privacy of the human mind is resolved.

a) The human mind is not private in principle, because if we could access the functional states of the human mind, we would be able to see what is going on inside another person's mind.

b) However, practically speaking, the mind remains private: at this point in time, only the owner of the mind has access those functional states.

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Still, not everyone is wild about functionalism? Why?

Still, not everyone is wild about functionalism?

Why?

A. Not everyone is certain that it is a GOOD THING that anything which instantiates (roughly) the human Turing Table has a mind -- for this allows in other animals as well as artificial entities.

Still, not everyone is wild about functionalism.

Why?

A. Not everyone is certain that it is a GOOD THING that anything which instantiates (roughly) the human Turing Table has a mind -- for this allows in other animals as well as artificial entities.

B. It seems to leave out something essential about the human mind, namely the consciousness of our mental states.

E.g. If I am tasting a hazelnut gelato, well, I can TASTE that hazelnut taste.

Is it really possible that merely having the right kind of software or programme is enough to produce consciousness, to taste, see, smell, feel and think what a person does?

To put this another way....

I can perfectly well imagine that a machine instantiated the Turing Table for human psychology and yet was completely and absolutely unconscious!!

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The Functionalist Response:

1. Just because you think you can imagine something, does not mean that what you imagine (or think you imagine) is possible.

The Functionalist Response:

1. Just because you think you can imagine something, does not mean that what you imagine (or think you imagine) is possible.

2. There is still something that the functionalist still owes us, namely the functionalism must explain the difference, in functional terms, between a psychological state that is conscious and a psychological state that is unconscious.

An example of this kind of explanation of consciousness...

2nd Order Thoughts (Thoughts about Thoughts)

When our brains/minds perform certain functions, we are aware that they are doing this. On this view, this is because some of our mental states function to be about, or monitor, some of our mental states.

This is not something we are aware of--it is not like "you" have some sense that you are monitoring your own thoughts, rather like you are aware of watching TV.

Rather, when one internal state monitors another, then you become conscious of the monitored state.

This is the process by which some thoughts/mental events become conscious.

Those mental states that do not have 2nd order thoughts--there are no thoughts about them--remain unconscious.

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