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    Functional organization, unlike molecular constitution, i... — Carmelics
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    Supports→Anti-functionalist physicalists lack a principled reason to reject inverted qualia between functional duplicates while accepting that inverted qualia between molecule-by-molecule duplicates are metaphysically impossible.

    Functional organization, unlike molecular constitution, is multiply realizable across physically distinct substrates, meaning functional identity does not guarantee physical identity.

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    Reasons For

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    Reason for
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    • 1.Artificial neural networks and biological brains perform identical computational functions despite utterly different physical substrates.
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    • 2.If two systems are physically distinct yet functionally identical, their identity conditions cannot be purely physical.
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    • 3.Multiple realizability is empirically demonstrated in computing: same software runs on silicon, optical, and quantum hardware.
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    Reasons Against

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    • 1.Function itself may depend on physical details: silicon-based and biological neurons have different temporal dynamics and noise profiles.
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    • 2.Perfect functional identity is never actually achieved across substrates; only approximate, coarse-grained functional descriptions match.
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    • 3.The claim conflates 'not requiring identical molecules' with 'substrate-independence'—realizable systems still require *some* physical constitution.
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    Key Terms

    Functional identity(as used in philosophy of biology)
    When something performs the same role or job, even if it might look different or be made up differently in different situations.
    Functional organization(as a possible basis for explaining consciousness)
    The way different parts of a system work together and interact to perform their jobs—like how different organs in your body work together to keep you alive.
    Multiply realizable(philosophy of mind)
    The idea that the same mental state or function could be implemented in different physical ways—like how the same software can run on different computers with different hardware.
    Substrate(as the underlying physical foundation being discussed)
    The physical stuff or material that something is made of or runs on; in this case, the brain as the physical basis for mental states.
    molecular constitution(contrasting with the functional definition of genes)
    The actual physical and chemical stuff something is made of at the smallest level (like DNA sequences).
    physical identity(as used in metaphysics)
    The idea that two things are exactly the same when you look at all their physical properties and composition.

    Connections

    1 topic

    Consciousness & Mind1 linked

    Related

    Anti-functionalist physicalists lack a principled reason to reject inverted qual...Artificial neural networks and biological brains perform identical computational...Function itself may depend on physical details: silicon-based and biological neu...If two systems are physically distinct yet functionally identical, their identit...

    Details

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    claim
    Perspectives
    2 (1 for, 1 against)
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    +3 moreShow less
    Multiple realizability is empirically demonstrated in computing: same software r...Perfect functional identity is never actually achieved across substrates; only a...The claim conflates 'not requiring identical molecules' with 'substrate-independ...