Against the Fading Qualia argument, an open discussion

[hewwo]

Hello. I have been exploring the psychedelics realm as a person deeply troubled by the phenomenology of consciousness. I was very happy when someone here pointed the work of the Qualia Research Institute to me. This leads to more questions as I'm discovering their work. I, however, have a few objections to some of their arguments.

About this one specifically : Fading Qualia | CF Debate

I find it strange, how the problem is often structured as if 1) mechanist =/limited to intput / output. I see a strong projection here from people navigating computer science. and 2) the way the whole thing falls back into the transcendental realm of mystery and magic makes almost like haunted by the old dichotomy flesh/spirit. Here's the feedback I sent to open a discussion, maybe you'll have an opinion, maybe you'll disagree. Let's see where the discussion leads us :

"I find the fading qualia argument painfully weak. It seems to inherit an old flesh-spirit dichotomy: either consciousness is computational and functional, or it must belong to some non-mechanistic, mysterious realm. That is a dangerous ghost. It haunts, blinds, and binds to a naive false alternative: functionalism or mystery. This is an easy route to escape the hard problem. to escape the hard problem. Consciousness could rely on electromagnetic, thermodynamic, analog, oscillatory, biochemical, or critical-threshold dynamics while remaining entirely mechanistic. Immanence. Which mechanisms matter? This should be the first question. It's never written. If consciousness depends on fine-grained physical dynamics rather than abstract functional organization alone, then preserving input-output behavior, cognitive reports, or functional roles may not be enough to preserve experience. The fading qualia argument seems to assume that any change in phenomenology must necessarily produce a functional or behavioral difference. This is what the functionalists need to prove, not something they can lazily assume. Don't let the ghosts write. Don’t let the ghosts write."

PS: I love their work, it's fascinating, and I have nothing but respect for them. I only discuss ideas, not people. My love comes with critical thinking though.