Ned Block's own conceivability arguments for inverted spectra presuppose that qualia have intrinsic properties, but intrinsic properties of mental states are best explained by their causal-functional roles per Shoemaker's functionalist account.

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Reasons For

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Reason for

1.If qualia were merely functional roles, inverted spectra would be logically impossible since identical functional roles guarantee identical experiences.
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2.Block's conceivability argument successfully shows we can coherently imagine spectrum inversion, demonstrating qualia transcend functional definition.
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3.Functionalism struggles to explain why specific qualia feel the way they do rather than differently, suggesting intrinsic, non-functional properties exist.
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Reasons Against

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Reason against

1.Conceivability does not entail metaphysical possibility; inverted spectra may be conceivable but impossible given our actual neurocognitive architecture.
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2.Shoemaker's functionalism can accommodate intrinsic properties as constitutive of functional roles rather than separate from them, avoiding the dichotomy.
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3.Block's argument assumes qualia have determinate intrinsic properties independent of all causal-relational context, a claim requiring further philosophical defense.
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Key Terms

Causal-functional roles(as how functionalism explains the mind): The idea that mental states are defined by what they do and how they connect to other things—like a belief matters because it causes you to act and connects to your other thoughts, not because of what it's made of.
Conceivability arguments(as the argumentative strategy being discussed): A type of philosophical argument that says: if we can imagine or think through a scenario in our heads, it might tell us something important about what's actually possible in reality.
Ned Block(as a philosopher studying consciousness): A contemporary philosopher who studies consciousness and the mind; he's known for arguing that our conscious experiences (like seeing colors) might be fundamentally different from what we can logically imagine or prove.
Shoemaker, Sydney(as a major philosopher of mind): An influential philosopher who developed functionalism, the view that mental states should be understood by their causes and effects rather than their inner nature.
functionalism(Philosophy of mind; distinguished here from representationalism): The view that mental states are defined by the causal roles they play in a cognitive system — their actual, potential, or typical causal relationships.
intrinsic properties(Contrasted with structural properties revealed by physics): Properties which supposedly underlie and account for the structural properties of things.
inverted spectra(Contrasted with absent qualia to illustrate that the two possibilities are logically independent): The possibility that a functional duplicate of a conscious being has qualia that are systematically different in qualitative character — e.g., experiencing red where the original experiences green — while remaining functionally identical
qualia(The passage presents two competing definitions to contrast the views): On the Cartesian picture: intrinsic qualities of inner ideas of which subjects are directly aware, necessarily shared by internal duplicates regardless of environment. On wide representationalism: representational contents of inner states whose nature is partly externally determined

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Block's argument assumes qualia have determinate intrinsic properties independen...Block's conceivability argument successfully shows we can coherently imagine spe...Conceivability does not entail metaphysical possibility; inverted spectra may be...Functionalism struggles to explain why specific qualia feel the way they do rath...

Details

Type: claim
Perspectives: 2 (1 for, 1 against)
Edits: 1 edit