1998-06-15Z2011-03-11T08:53:48Zhttp://cogprints.org/id/eprint/318This item is in the repository with the URL: http://cogprints.org/id/eprint/3181998-06-15ZAbsent Qualia, Fading Qualia, Dancing QualiaIn this paper I use thought-experiments to argue that functional organization fully determines conscious experience. These thought-experiments involve the gradual replacement of neurons by silicon chips, and similar scenarios. I argue that if "absent qualia" or "inverted qualia", are possible, then phenomena I call "fading qualia" and "dancing qualia" will be possible; but I argue that it is very implausible that fading or dancing qualia are possible. The resulting position is a sort of nonreductive functionalism.David J. Chalmers