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Another Look at Functionalism and the Emotions

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Brain and Mind

Abstract

Two chronic problems have plagued functionalism in the philosophy of mind. The first is the chauvinism/liberalism dilemma, the second the absent qualia problem. The first problem is addressed by blocking excessively liberal counterexamples at a level of functional abstraction that is high enough to avoid chauvinism. This argument introduces the notion of emotional functional organization (EFO). The second problem is addressed by granting Block's skeptical conclusions with respect to mentality as such, while arguing that qualitative experience is a concomitant of human mentality considered as a special case: a system with EFO implemented in an organic substrate.

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  1. Department of Philosophy, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA

    Charles Nussbaum

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Nussbaum, C. Another Look at Functionalism and the Emotions. Brain and Mind 4, 353–383 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:BRAM.0000005469.62248.00

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