The existence of God

[polymath257]

They are certainly more complex. But then, the brain is more complex than a container of gas.

Are they different in a way that leads us to suspect they can't be emergent from the brain processes? No.

In fact, ALL the evidence that we have is precisely that all conscious events are, in fact, brain events.

And, frankly, I think that 'qualia' is too vague a term to be useful. Nobody seems to be able to agree exactly what it means.

Sorry, but most of what you said is pure assertion. If in your opinion qualia is vaguely defined it is because of its irreducible immediacy. And no, there is no obvious way to reduce intentionality, what systems are about, to purely physical causes. Sure there are many approaches attempting to do so. Which means there is robust debate in an area you are professing certainty.

So does a quale include the emotional component?

If I look at a piece of red cloth that makes me sad, is there a red quale and a separate quale for the emotion? Or is there only one quale for the whole experience?

How is a quale different than a simple perception of the senses?

What in the world do you mean by 'irreducible immediacy'?

Sorry, but it looks to me that the term 'quale' is designed to confuse the situation, not to enlighten it.

Does a bacterium moving upwards in a chemical gradient have intentionality? Does a plant moving to get more sun have intentionality? Does someone having a reflex action have intentionality? Does a fish pursuing another fish have intentionality?

I think you will find that there is a broad range of behaviors, all rooted in physical processes, that range from clearly not intentional to clearly intentional. There seems to be no clean break and therefor no reason to suspect anything other than physical processes involved.

It looks to me like your assertion that consciousness cannot be explained by the physical aspects of the universe is a much stronger assertion than mine saying that it can. At least mine is based on collected evidence, the history of science, and a bit of cautious investigation.