Lewis struggles to fit the Madman, whose mental state ‘pain’ is caused by irregular stimuli and causes irregular effects, within the functionalist model. Though Lewis ultimately places the Madman into the normal human population as an irregular case, I contend that the Madman could be better described through a causal analysis at the individual level. Such an analysis would be effective because the Madman’s mental states are only functionally irregular compared to the remainder of the human population. When he is considered as an individual, it is revealed that his mental states are apt to be caused by certain stimuli and are apt to cause certain responses, although these stimuli and responses differ from those of the normal population. Such an individual analysis could also functionally explain unique creatures that would typically resist conforming to Lewis’ notion of appropriate population. Thus, a fifth category of appropriate population, namely the individual X, provides a deeper functional understanding of secondary qualities and unique individuals such as the
Lewis struggles to fit the Madman, whose mental state ‘pain’ is caused by irregular stimuli and causes irregular effects, within the functionalist model. Though Lewis ultimately places the Madman into the normal human population as an irregular case, I contend that the Madman could be better described through a causal analysis at the individual level. Such an analysis would be effective because the Madman’s mental states are only functionally irregular compared to the remainder of the human population. When he is considered as an individual, it is revealed that his mental states are apt to be caused by certain stimuli and are apt to cause certain responses, although these stimuli and responses differ from those of the normal population. Such an individual analysis could also functionally explain unique creatures that would typically resist conforming to Lewis’ notion of appropriate population. Thus, a fifth category of appropriate population, namely the individual X, provides a deeper functional understanding of secondary qualities and unique individuals such as the