CF Debate

Supporting Arguments

These arguments support the possibility that consciousness can emerge from computational processes.

Church Turing Thesis

Most natural processes are computable, so it's likely consciousness is too.

Key Argument, Methodology, Substrate, Behavioural, Ontology, Computational, Promotes digital CF

Fading Qualia

If you slowly replaced your neurons with functionally equivalent chips, your consciousness would fade but you wouldn't be able to report it.

Key Argument, Conceivability, Substrate, Phenomenology, Promotes functionalism

Dancing Qualia

If your neurons were rapidly swapped with functionally equivalent chips that don't support qualia, you would not be able to report the "dance".

Conceivability, Substrate, Phenomenology, Promotes functionalism

Cognitive Science & AI Success Argument

Computational models have been very successful at reproducing cognition, so they will eventually reproduce phenomenal consciousness too.

Behavioural, Methodology, Computational, Promotes digital CF

Multiple Realisability Argument

Since different brains can have the same mental state (e.g., pain), what must matter is the functional pattern, not the physical material.

Key Argument, Substrate, Phenomenology, Methodology, Promotes all CF

Natural Selection Argument

Evolution would not select for consciousness if it didn't have a useful function.

Behavioural, Methodology, Ontology, Promotes functionalism

Anti-Mystery / Pro-Parsimony Debate

A scientific, functional explanation is simpler and thus preferable to one that invokes the mystery of qualia.

Methodology, Behavioural, Promotes functionalism

Introspection of Functions

When we look inward, we only observe the functional roles of our mental states, and never "non-functional" qualia.

Phenomenology, Behavioural, Intentionality, Promotes functionalism

Ontic Structural Realism

If reality is fundamentally just a set of relationships, then consciousness is also defined by its relational (and thus functional) structure.

Methodology, Epiphenomenalism, Ontology, Computational, Promotes functionalism

Informational Ontologies

If reality is fundamentally made of information, then consciousness is a form of (substrate independent) information processing.

Methodology, Epiphenomenalism, Ontology, Computational, Promotes digital CF

Evolutionary Gradualism

Evolution shows continuous functional development from simple systems to humans, with no clear entry point for non-physical consciousness.

Promotes physicalism

Phenomenal-Functional Correlational Evidence

Our subjective experiences track functional changes, suggesting consciousness is identical with those functions.

Promotes functionalism