Comparison between financial engineering and Islamic financial Essay

Correlation between money related building and Islamic budgetary designing and is monetary designing help the banks and money related organization in the credit crunch - Essay Example El-Gamal has called attention to that Islamic budgetary statute has planned for improving human government assistance however exchange costs have been considerably decreased rendering contract-based law incomprehensible (2007, p. 1). El-Gamal (2007) gives a premise to Islamic money related designing focusing on an Islamic law consistent just as legitimate hazard agreeable budgetary instruments. An expert on the Islamic budgetary framework is the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) situated in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Islamic Financial Services Board is a global standard-setting association that looks to advance steadiness of the Islamic money related administrations industry by giving gauges and core values (IFSB 2009, p. 1). The part national banks/nations of the IFSB incorporate Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Bahrain, Iran, the Islamic Development Bank, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates. A key element of Islamic monetary administrations relates to Shari-ah administration. Sadly, as indicated by IFSB archives (2009, p. 1), Shari-ah administration, in spite of being a regularly utilized word inside the Islamic budgetary assistance organizations (IFSI), has never been â€Å"properly† characterized. In any case, Shari-ah administration is regarded to have been acknowledged when a Shari-ah board accepts so (IFSB 2009, p.1). El-Gamal (2003, p. 4), be that as it may, partners the Shari-ah with the Islamic Law. Following El-Gamal, Shari-ah consistence is thusly consistence with Islamic Law as judgment of skilled specialists of the Shari-ah or the Islamic Laws. Stride and Worthington (2007, p. 27) explained, in any case, that the principle wellsprings of the Shari-ah law are the Qu’ran, Hadith, Sunna, Ijma, Qiyas and Ijtihad. As indicated by the most recent accessible IFSB (2009) archive on the Shari-ah, the Shari-ah board is normally made out of researchers on the Shari-ah (then again known as the Shari-ah Committee or the Shari-ah Supervisory Board) however the training throughout the years is

Semiotic Analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Semiotic Analysis - Case Study Example He deciphered the sign to be a physical item with importance, comprising of the 'signifier' and the 'meant'. The 'signifier' as per him, was the material vehicle for the sign and the 'connoted' was the psychological idea it spoke to which was a typical factor between each individual from a similar culture, having a similar language. (Fiske 1990:43) While then again, paradigmatic investigation manages the assessment of standards installed in the content. Compensation tests are regularly utilized in paradigmatic investigation. Compensation test include the examination by subbing expressions of a similar class or type to control the movements in meaning. They help in breaking down a commercial from alternate points of view through signs. They contemplate various parts of the 'signifier' and 'implied'. To decipher the message of the ad with regards to various topics, sorts or mediums, a paradigmatic methodology ought to be utilized. (T. Vestergaard, and K. Schroder, 1985) Suggestive implications are those that are not intentional portrayals of the article, at the same time, new utilizations that have been delivered by the language gathering. Demonstrative importance looks at the affiliations, the feels and hints of an idea, and rather doesn't see it expressly. Investigating the definition given Saussure (1857-1913), a sign comprises of two sections: Being a signifier involves, it will have a structure that an individual can observer through his faculties of touch, smell, sight and hearing, and Being the connoted suggests, it will represent a thought or mental form of a thing rather than the item itself While then again, as indicated by Chandler, Daniel. (2001/2007), a signification is the exacting or surface importance preset to a signifier. Implications that are demonstrative are created by the majority and don't show the intrinsic characteristics of the thing or idea in fact meant as the importance. The amassing of such implications brings unpredictability into the arrangement of coding. On the off chance that a signifier has only one denotational meaning, the utilization of the sign will consistently be unambiguously decoded by the crowd. Be that as it may, indicative implications are those that are reliant on the unique circumstance, for example the recipient must figure out how to make both the implications compare; the significance proposed by the sender and the different likely implications in memory. While the syntagmatic investigation, dissects the literary viewpoint which contrasts a shot especially in photography and other going before and succeeding shots. Then again, paradigmatic investigation analyzes shots, yet not against other elective sorts of shots, most definitely (C. Bazalgette, 1991). The hypotheses of semiotics are along these lines viewed as a binding together lattice which underlie the vast majority of the supposed humanities, just as huge numbers of the social and conduct sciences. In this manner it illuminates and encroaches the significant fragments of the social sciences, for example, mental examinations, and the hard sciences, for example, science and material science

10 Best Beach Reads for Summer 2018

10 Best Beach Reads for Summer 2018 The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll (0) Summer is here, which means you get to reward yourself for a long year of studying by soaking up the sun (SPF-protected, of course) and unwinding by the beach or pool. Savor the rays with one of these unputdownable new beach reads. Need to use one as the basis for a post-summer book report? Never fear! Theres EasyBibs easy online grammar checker. The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll Published on May 15, 2018 Five successful women land a reality series that ensues with plenty of drama. Hardly anything newâ€"until it ends in murder. Sisters Brett and Kelly, along with a supporting cast of high-power characters, navigate envy and strife in a murder mystery that also explores sister relationships, societal pressures, and the glass ceiling. If you’re looking for a beach read that’s thought-provoking as well as entertaining, The Favorite Sister is a smart bet. The Good Son by You-jeong Jeong Published on June 5, 2018 Murder most foul makes another appearance in this new novel by South Korean author You-jeong Jeong, her first to be translated into English. Yu-jin is awakes in an early-morning haze doused in blood that isn’t his ownâ€"only to discover the mutilated body of his mother. He then sets out to find her killer. As young women begin to disappear from his town, Yu-jin finds out more than he bargained for about his own family’s past. Inspired by a true story (!), you might find yourself skipping the beach volleyball match to find out whodunnit. Southernmost by Silas House Published on June 5, 2018 If you’re searching for a captivating family drama, Silas House’s most recent novel should be on your list. After a flood decimates a small Tennessee town, evangelical Asher Sharp offers shelter to two gay men whose home was destroyedâ€"creating tension with his prejudiced wife and much of the town. His relationships suffer tremendously, and after a custody battle, Asher flees with his son to Key West to find his estranged brother. This exciting and intense novel about timely issues will keep you on the edge of your seat (or towel). Half Gods by Akil Kumarasamy Published on June 5, 2018 This collection of entwined short stories will have you sitting down at the beach to read one tale and ending up with a finished book and a nice tan. Half Gods follows the stories of two brothers, linking them to other characters including a butcher in New Jersey, a Muslim girl with a Hindu name, and an etymologist in Sri Lanka. With its beautiful and evocative writing, this book will take you to far-flung places, no plane ticket required. Treeborne by Caleb Johnson Published on June 5, 2018 Travel through time with this debut novel, another set in the American south. Elberta, Alabama is a city that has gone through many changes over the years, as has the eccentric Treeborne family. Narrator Janie Treeborne tells the family’s history to her grandson as she stands to lose the family orchard that she loves so much. If you like quirky stories with a strong sense of place, this is the book for you. Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering Published on June 12, 2018 This addictive novel explores the strange and toxic relationship between two characters, Lucy Albright and Stephen DeMarco, from their first days of college to their post-college life. Immediately attracted to the mysterious and alluring Stephen, Lucy doesn’t realize she’s going to stumble into the ultimate dark secret. With alternating narration exposing different sides of the story in a way we never get in real life, this novel will stay with you for the entire summer. Who is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht Published on June 12, 2018 Rosalie Knecht’s latest novel explores a different side of the Cold War with a distinct heroine. In 1962, Vera Kelly is a lively New Yorker who’s just getting by as a radio host when the CIA extends her an unexpected invitation. Next thing she knows, she’s in Buenos Aires, on a mission to infiltrate student radicals while trying to break into the local KGB faction. But Vera soon gets in over her head, giving her a new mission: survival. If you like spy stories and strong heroines, this is the book for you. There There by Tommy Orange Expected on July 5, 2018 This debut novel by Tommy Orange explores intimate family connections as well as large cultural realities through interconnected stories. Each tells the story of one character who has come to the Big Oakland Powwow for a different reason: Jacquie to reconnect with her estranged family, Opal to support her nephew’s dance performance, and Dene to remember his late uncle. Together, their stories explore the contemporary Native American experience in ways that are in turns tragic, funny, and beautiful. What We Were Promised by Lucy Tan Expected on July 10, 2018 This deep and satisfying first novel tells a different kind of diaspora story: the one that begins when we return. Wei, Lina, and Karen Zhen have recently relocated to Shanghai, China after years of living in America. In their new home, each family member settles into a new and unfamiliar role. Lina, who is used to having a career, is now a leisurely housewife; Wei works for an advertising company; and Karen attends a Chinese-American boarding school. The Zhen family learns to navigate their new lifestyles while butting up against their complicated pasts and rapidly changing country.   Fresh Ink: An Anthology edited by Lamar Giles Expected on August 14, 2018 This anthology of young adult short stories, graphic fiction, and plays features writing from outstanding YA authors such as Eric Gansworth, Sharon G. Flake, and Aminah Mae Safi. Among them are “Don’t Pass by Me,” a tale about an Indian-American boy embracing his culture, “Why I Learned to Cook,” a story of a young Persian girl getting to know her grandmother, and “Tags,” a play narrated by New York teenagers beyond the grave, among many more. Diverse in genre, narrator, and voice, this beach read leaves nothing out, but is sure to leave you wanting more. We hope you enjoy these page-turners! If you need to turn one into a book report, brush up on how to make an APA book citation or see an example of MLA format. To make the citing even easier, there’s always EasyBib’s free citation generator. It never takes summer vacation.

Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov ( Arkhipov ) - 1407 Words

Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov (Arkhipov) Vasili Alexandrovich was born in a peasant family on January 30 1926 in Olovo, Moscow Oblast Russian Soviet union where he went to caspian higher naval school. Notes: Born January 30, 1926. In Olovo, Moscow Oblast, Russian. He was in the Family of the Moscow for a very long time . He was educated in the higher education School that wasnt for a normal average person . He later participated in the Soviet- Japanese War in in the Russian navy August of 1945, serving aboard a minesweeper. He transferred to the Naval School is where he graduated in 1947. After graduating in 1947. He served in the submarine service aboard boats in the black sea and was in the Northern and Baltic Fleets. He advanced up the ranks of the navy as his skill and training advanced as no one has really achieved before but he has done so . Notes: Went to school at high Naval School and then become a Participated. Soviet-Japanese War in Russian. In August around 1945. Then the captain took his boat to the Northern Black Sea. In July 1961. He was in office of the new Hotel-class ballistic missile submarine K-19. After a few days of conducting exercises off the coast of Greenland the submarine developed a bad leak in its reactor coolant system. The leak led to failure of the cooling system This was a horrible crisis event for the crew and possibly the world. Radio communications were also affected because was unable to make contact with Moscow or

Hispanics that Have Changed the Life of Technology and...

Hispanics have changed the life of technology and science a lot. A number of hispanic people have changed technology and science. An example of this would be Laura Saldivar, she is the executive director of Teach for America San Antonio. Teach for America San Antonio is a program that recruits top college graduates to teach in lower class schools. Dr. Antonia Novello was the first Hispanic and first woman to become a Surgeon General,the head of a public health service or of an armed forces medical service.In space exploration, there have been ten Hispanic astronauts, including Franklin Chang-Daz and Ellen Ochoa. Dr. Ochoa, in 1990, was the first Hispanic woman to become an astronaut. Dr. Chang-Daz, who joined the space program in 1981, was a crewmember on seven space flights and logged over 1,601 hours in space, including 19 hours and 31 minutes in three space walks. In 1995, Mario Molina, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, along with two other scientists, won the Nobel P rize in chemistry for research that helped the world confront the threat that chlorofluorocarbons pose to the earths protective ozone layer.In science in 1968, Luis Alvarez won the Nobel Prize for his work with subatomic particles.Raul Ruiz is an American medical doctor and politician. In 1968, Luis Alvarez won the Nobel Prize for his work with subatomic particles, he was a teacher at berkeley in california, he helped develop microwave beacons, he also ground controlled landing approaches forShow MoreRelatedThinking About Diversity and Inclusion808 Words   |  4 Pagesdepends of the human’s need and it has changed through human evolution. Countries that were pioneer on a cultural growth got behind and others countries progressed in art, technology, and science over the time. The immigration also interferes in the cultural diversity. The United States has a large amount of immigrants from many countries in the world. Immigrants try to preserve their cultural traditions to th e future generations and over the time their cultures have influenced in the art, music, andRead MoreEssay on Historical Trends at American Colleges and Universities1515 Words   |  7 Pageswere also others. The general colonial college curriculum included Latin, Greek, Hebrew, rhetoric, and logic. Later philosophy, metaphysics, ethics and mathematics were added. The argument later arose that colleges for agriculture and mechanical science should be established with support from federal land grants, thus the Morill Act of 1862 was created. This act granted each state 30,000 acres of public land for each senator and representative of Congress and the income from this grant was to supportRead MoreHow Technology Has Changed Today s Life1403 Words   |  6 Pagesmany times have we heard older people talk about the good old days? However, when we examine the good old days, maybe they were not quite as good as they remember. Every generation has benefitted from the advances made by t he prior generation to improve the quality of life during the current generation. Today’s generation is no exception. Developments in technology, health, living, society and culture in the United States has made life better for today’s generation. Technology plays a bigRead MoreEssay about Functional Literacy in High School Students1422 Words   |  6 PagesFunctional Literacy in High School Students â€Æ' What is Functional Literacy? Prior to 1985, functional literacy was defined as the ability to read or write in English or another language. Standards for measuring one’s functional literacy have changed numerous times over the decades. In the 1930’s functional literacy meant having three or more years of school. During the WWII era, it meant completing a fourth grade education. The standards increased during the 1960’s. Literacy in this era meantRead MoreDeveloping And Adopting The Curriculum1361 Words   |  6 Pagesleadership and policy studies (D. Lauer, personal communication, November 1, 2014). Similarly, she studied Bachelor of Arts in Multicultural Education at the College of Santa Fe at Albuquerque. Finally, she earned a bachelor of arts in political science and speech communication from the University of Illinois. With respect to work experience, Lauer started teaching in June 1991 at San Diego mission school. After 16 years of teaching, she stopped in June 2007 to become a school administrator. In herRead MoreMy Personal Statement On My Economic Status Transformed Me Into A Better Student, And Help Me Grow Up974 Words   |  4 Pagestime management, responsible and, most importantly, that everything may be possible with hard work, dedication and determination. I have kept a significant high grade average point (GPA) of 3.81/4.0. I am actively participating in research projects. I am a member of PSI CHI, the International Honor Society in Psychology, and the Association for Psychological Science (APS). I am planning to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Columbia University, Teacher College. My motivation of further studyRead MoreThe Civil Rights Activist Malcolm X1631 Words   |  7 PagesMalcolm X (â€Å"1960’s). To fully understand what Malcolm X was trying to say, one would have to understand what â€Å"future† really means. Future: the time or a period of time following the moment of speaking or writing; time regarded as still to come (Merriam). An interpretation of this is that one should prepare for the future, so that when the future becomes the present, a person knows she or he did everything thing he could have to make today better than yesterday. The future was always a very big conceptRead MoreModern American society is still using the constructs from the eighteenth century. With the1100 Words   |  5 Pages Modern American society is still using the constructs from the eighteenth century. With the innovating discoveries in technology and science one would think social sciences would have a greater impact on our social constructs. Slavery wa s ended in 1865; unfortunately racism and white power was not. The integration of African Americans into American society has been a bumpy road and clearly has not been socially accepted in numerous locations within America. Social policies, frames, projects andRead MoreEducational Issue Involving Adolescents . Many People Blame1695 Words   |  7 Pagescause educational issues with adolescents in addition to parental involvement. These factors include: peer relations/bullying, substance abuse, young parenthood, technology use, stereotyping, racial judgements, and socioeconomic status. According to a study conducted by Aprile D. Benner, Alaina E. Boyle, and Sydney Sadler, American youth have made major strides in progressing in education in recent years. They also note that high school dropout rates are at an all-time low. In their report, they mentionRead MoreU.S. Automobile Manufacturing in the Twenty-First Century1540 Words   |  7 PagesCentury, automobiles are no longer luxuries but necessities. In addition, due to the technological, economical, and social changes, the automobile industries as well of organizational practices have changed since the 20th century (Greer, 2001). Several developments such as global competition, advanced technology, and reengineering are more likely to affect human resource managers in the automobile industry (Greer, 2001, p. 68). Human Resource Issues Managers in the Automobile Industry Should Be Prepared

Body Alterations Free Essays

Cosmetic surgery is the most common kind of plastic surgery nowadays. It consists on medical practices intended for enhancing one’s appearance, maintaining it or embellishing it beyond an average level toward an esthetic ideal. Tattoos, piercings and any other ornaments are applications that also take the human’s body as their final object. We will write a custom essay sample on Body Alterations or any similar topic only for you Order Now In his essay â€Å"The Body Jigsaw†, Philippe Liotard states that cosmetic surgery and body alterations stand at opposite sides. In the following, I’m going to take a position relatively to the above statement, before analyzing the situation in my home society, Lebanon. First of all, Liotard believes that body modifications are ways that one can use in order to look different from the common mass. For him, it is as expression of â€Å"refusal to comply with social norms† (Liotard, 264). So far, it’s true that having a foreign tattoo or a piercing in a society that doesn’t originally apply them commonly makes a person looks out of the box. Moreover, different combinations of body alterations emphasize the uniqueness of each individual and reflect a mixture of cultures. On the opposite side, cosmetic surgery can be applied for several reasons. One of them is looking for example as a certain idol, celebrity or any public figure. This aim is becoming very redundant between women who seek having this actress’ nose or that singer’s lips. From this way of thinking, we can say that cosmetic surgery promotes a kind of stereotype. For that, the uniqueness of each individual is abolished. For this way of interpretation, I stand on the same shore as the author. Moving to my home society, views and opinions concerning both â€Å"alternative† body alterations and cosmetic surgery vary a lot. There’s no single common way of handling these applications. In fact, some alterations are rejected while others can be tolerated. For most Lebanese, a familiar thought is that piercing as well as others body ornaments or some techniques are not manly. For that, a man with a pierced ear is subject to negative connotations. On the other hand, tattoos for instance are accepted to a certain extend. Concerning cosmetic surgery, we encounter three main categories of opinions. There are some people who completely support these surgeries whereas others reject them completely while some have intermediate views. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t mind people having a tattoo even though I won’t do it. I personally believe that the decision of having a permanent tattoo is based on mood or temporary convictions that can collapse with time. On the contrary, I’m not against having a temporary one. Also, about cosmetic surgeries, I support them when they aim to correct an inborn defect or an accidental one. A personal experience I had was when I broke my nose and the only solution was having a surgery to repair the bad appearance caused by the accident. On the opposite side, I disapprove plastic surgeries when they are applied just to have someone else’s nose, lips†¦ To sum up, I agree that cosmetic surgery and â€Å"alternative† body alterations are philosophical antonyms even though they both affect the body. And, like in everything else, the best use of body alterations relies in moderation. As a Lebanese proverb says: â€Å"Every excess means less† Works Cited Liotard, Philippe. â€Å"The Body Jigsaw†. Shades of Gray. 2nd edition. Ed. Zane Sinno et al. Essex: Pearson, 2008. Print How to cite Body Alterations, Papers

Inverted Qualia and Absent Qualia an Example of the Topic Psychology Essays by

Inverted Qualia and Absent Qualia: Too Short Arms to Embrace Consciousness Introduction From the dawn of consciousness, humans wanted to give shape to their inner feelings and experiences, but in most of the cases this endeavour remained limited only in individualized graphical details, representation through words or voice expressions. Yet the endeavour is still on and that depicts about human craving for further refinement. It is this quest that has been able to identify and universalize a vast range of feelings through categories and names. However, the broad-based term like 'qualia' used by the philosophers to address such package of various mental states, command some explanations to achieve deeper understanding on the subject because every proposition of philosophy is accompanied by counter argument. Thus this essay explores 'inverted qualia' and 'absent qualia', the chief constituents of qualia to reach a decision regarding their standpoint on physicalist account of consciousness. Need essay sample on "Inverted Qualia and Absent Qualia: Too Short Arms to Embrace Consciousness" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Students Usually Tell EssayLab support: I'm don't want to write my essay. Because I want to spend time with my girlfriend Professional writers suggest: Buy An Essay Which Will Lead You To Your Academic Success Consciousness Altogether there are six major identifiable states of consciousness like below: States one is aware of: in this state one is aware of being in (Rosenthal, 1986). Qualitative states: this state takes place when one is conscious in a qualitative sense for example, when one senses something out of something like appreciating a drink or experiencing pain, etc. these are often referred to as qualia, which involve disagreement about their nature. However, qualia have been regarded as "intrinsic, private, ineffable monadic features of experience, though current theories of qualia often reject at least some of those commitments" (Dennett, 1990). Phenomenal states: It involves more than sensory qualia, as it covers spatial, temporal and conceptual organization of experience regarding the world and the person's standpoint in it. What-it-is-like states: It's when one associates a sense of experience with another, like if there is something that it is like to be in that state. Access consciousness: It's when one deals with intra-mental relations like one seeing a thing and ideating something and then deciding on something, where there maybe or may not be any apparent relationship among the above-said three stages. Narrative consciousness: It's when someone is in the "stream of consciousness" that contain an ongoing, series of thoughts from the "perspective of an actual or merely virtual self" (Dennett, 1991). What is Qualia Qualia can be called something as a package of intrinsic and intricate experiences that helps the sense to associate, distinguish or differ their qualities. As for example, if someone sees a colour red and subsequently experiences its proximity to orange and distance from black, then the intrinsic and intricate experiences associated with such reasoning can be called as qualia. In other words, phenomenal characteristics of such experiences that are accessible introspectively can be referred to as 'qualia'. Mental States that Cause Qualia In general, qualia involve Perceptual experiences: When one seeing and identifying a colour or sound or taste, etc. Bodily sensations: It involves feelings like pain, itch, hunger, hot or cold or dizzy, etc. Reactions: This involves passions, emotions, like feeling joyous, jealous or regretful, etc. Felt Moods: This involves feelings like depression, calm, bored, tense or miserable, etc. (Haugeland, 1985). Inverted Qualia Inverted qualia suggest that two persons having exactly same functional organization can experience the same sensation from different contexts. As for example, the sensation (joy, for example) one can gather from seeing red colour, can occur in another person while he is seeing green, in spite of both being on the same plane of functional organization. However, this hypothesis extends itself even to the contrasting reaction zones, such as one is getting pleasure when injured or getting pain in a situation when others are experiencing pleasure. While the former opposes qualitative preconditions of functional state of mind (injury begets pain), the later fits well in the premise as it is perfectly possible to be at pains with the loud music at a disco, where others are experiencing pleasure out of it. Absent Qualia Absent qualia propose that functional duplicates of consciously perceiving creatures are possible, where the duplicates would totally lack qualia. As for example, Mr. X likes pizza and dislikes pudding, and accordingly, a clone of Mr. X would also like pizza and dislike pudding, for which it won't need processes like earlier intricate and intrinsic package of experiences thus it would achieve the same outcome even without having any phenomenal consciousness. Researchers argue that absent qualia hypothesis can be understood in three ways: Absent qualia are nomically possible. Absent qualia are possible metaphysically They are conceptually or logically possible. While the orthodox school of the philosophy of mind, comprising of dualists about phenomenal consciousness and the materialists, maintains the view that absent qualia are at least conceptually possible, the opposing school holds the view that they are impossible. Qualia and Functionalism The issue of qualia evolves out of functionalism, a doctrine that a certain feeling (for example, pain) is identical to a certain functional state, which is definable in terms of its causal relations to inputs, outputs, and other mental states" (Block, 1980). The functional state in this regard may be partially characterized by its tendencies like To be caused by tissue damage, To cause the desire to clear it, and Producing action to protect the damaged part of the body from the carriers of pain. This premise of functionalism evokes two objections stemming out from the concept of qualia, viz., 'Inverted Qualia' and 'Absent Qualia'. Inverted qualia suggest that two persons having exactly same functional organization can experience the same sensation from different contexts. As for example, the sensation (joy, for example) one can gather from seeing red colour, where that sensation can occur in another person while he is seeing green, in spite of both being on the same plane of functional organization. If this hypothesis is taken as true, then one has to admit that there can be functionally identical mental states in two persons under qualitatively or phenomenally different conditions. This shows that the functional characterizations of mental states fail to capture their qualitative factors. If the hypothesis of inverted qualia is considered as true then it puts the rationale of functionalism under scanner, as it says that every mental state is a functional state, while inverted qualia argues that if the qualitative state remains undefined (as to why one gets joy from red and another from green while being equal in terms of functional organization) then it becomes clear that functionalism fails to comprehensively cover the mental states. On the other hand, absent qualia suggests that two persons' mental states could be functionally identical even in the condition where one of them doesn't possess qualia at all! This also defies the premise of functionalism that 'every mental state is a functional state'. However, the premise of functionalism has been defended by many as for example, Sydney Shoemaker, the author of "Functionalism and Qualia", argued that functionalism can align itself with inverted qualia by admitting that mental state is 'not identical' to any functional state, which does not block functionalism to characterize mental states that have qualitative character, though they miss out the qualitative characters (Block, 1980). However, Shoemaker argues that absent qualia, i.e. two persons doing the same thing under same conditions, where one of them doesn't possess qualia, are impossible. According to him, if absent qualia is possible then the presence or absence of the qualitative character of pain would make no difference to its casual consequences, and accordingly we could have no knowledge of the qualitative character of pain, which in fact is not true, as we do have the knowledge of the qualitative character of pain. Therefore absent qualia is not possible. Ned Block, who depicts the situation as below, counters the above. Two persons, one with qualia and another without qualia experience pain, which are functionally identical. The pain experienced by the person having no qualia lacks qualitative characters that are supposed to stem out of qualia. This person's pain, say named as "ersatz pain", is possible even though the qualitative character of genuine pain is crucial to producing the consequences (say, tears) that are produced in another way by ersatz pain. Absent Qualia and The China-Body System In his well-known essay "Troubles with Functionalism", Ned Block (1980a) offers the following example: Imagine that a billion Chinese people are each given a two-way radio with which to communicate with one another and with an artificial (brainless) body. The preconditions of that imagery are: Their body movements are controlled by radio signal Signals are made in accordance with instructions displayed in the sky All Chinese people can see that display The nature of the instructions are making Chinese people function like individual neurons, where radio links are working like synapses so that together the Chinese people duplicate the casual organization of a normal human brain down to very fine-grained level. This system, according Block, does not undergo experiences and feelings. (Tye, 2006). Functionalists, however, considered this proposition as too hasty, where they countered with the argument that "Being so much smaller than the China-Body system, we fail to see the forest for the trees and we leap to an unlicensed conclusion about the absence of qualia one no more to be trusted than the conclusion a tiny extraterrestrial might reach if he happened to materialize inside a human brain and concluded that the pulses of electricity running down the huge number of pathways surrounding him do not support experience" (Tye, 2006). If the idea of China-Body is taken as true then it makes absent qualia true too where it would be conceptually possible to duplicate normal human mental state in spite of not possessing qualia, much like someone imagining that a certain rock within the gravitational framework of the earth can float after it is dropped from a height. Yet one can imagine the case of outer space (where there is no gravitational force like the earth) where s/he can drop a rock from the earth to see it is floating. Otherwise, under the earthen environment it remains obvious that the rock will fall on earth. Aligning with the above idea, one can say that even if one decides that it is nomicaly impossible for the China-Body system to lack experiences, one cannot be averse to the idea that it is conceptually possible. This clears the deck for absent qualia, though it is seemingly impossible. Mary's Case: Are Qualia Non-Physical Entities? In his book "Epiphenomenal Qualia", Jackson presents the case of Mary, where she remains confined within a black-and-white ambience, while acquiring knowledge about other colours, after which she successfully identifies other colours, like roses are red and grasses are green. This event serves as a pointer towards the intrinsic phenomenal qualities that are associated with colour, which is beyond the explanation of a physicalist. Since it is beyond the parameters of "I know" physicalist concept (Mary cannot say I know colours physically) it corroborates the notion that there is more than it meets the eye regarding phenomenal organization. Kant (1787), and Husserl (1913) too supports this fact that phenomenal structure of experience involves more than sensory ideas, thereby accommodating time, space, cause, body, self, world, and maybe more, to cook a complex package within our brain. Conclusion The propositions discussed above points to the fact that inverted qualia are possible and absent qualia are impossible. Inverted qualia are possible much like the way two brothers experiencing same craving for two different dishes, while absent qualia are impossible much like the way a robot fails to cry while seeing a hapless orphan amid a battlefield, where a human would do the other way, while associating his/her childhood with that boy and subsequently deciding to do something about the boy. However, inverted qualia cannot answer its conflict with functionalism where an injury is bound to generate pain and not pleasure to anyone. Together these grey areas of absent qualia and inverted qualia do show that there is yet to be a plausible physicalist account of consciousness, as the What, How and Why of consciousness the descriptive, explanatory and the functional questions regarding consciousness still remain unanswered, where 'What' asks for a clear model of the salient features o f consciousness, 'How' asks an explanation regarding the primary status of consciousness, while 'Why' asks about the value and relevance of consciousness. Ends References Block, N. (1980). Are Absent Qualia Impossible? The Philosophical Review. Vol. 89, No. 2. (Aprl, 1980), pp. 257-274. Block, N. (1980a), Troubles with Functionalism. In Readings in the Philosophy of Psychology, 1:268-305. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Denett, D.C. (1990). Quining qualia". In Mind and Cognition, W. Lycan, ed., Oxford: Blackwell, 519-548. Dennett, D.C. (1991). Consciousness Explained. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. Haugeland, J. (1985). 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