Final answer:
Qualia are generally considered by modern neuroscience to be state variables of the mind rather than input variables, supporting the monism-materialism view that mental states including qualia are emergent properties of brain processes, challenging dualistic notions of a separate non-physical mind.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question regarding whether qualia are state variables of the mind or input variables pertains to a longstanding debate in philosophy of mind and cognitive science. Qualia are the subjective, qualitative experiences of what it feels like to have mental states, such as the redness of red or the pain of a headache. The discourse falls under the exploration of consciousness and the mind-body problem, famously illuminated by Rene Descartes’ dualistic perspective which posits that the mind and body are separate substances - the mind being non-physical and the body being physical.
Some modern neuroscientific perspectives eschew dualism, leaning towards physicalism or monism-materialism, which hold the view that mental states, including qualia, are ultimately physical states of the brain. This view aligns qualia as a state variable, dependent upon brain activity, rather than an input to the mind. Physicalism argues that changes in brain states directly affect mental states, contrary to dualism which must explain how non-physical mind could affect the physical brain, causing actions without violating the conservation of energy or the principle of simplicity, Ockham's Razor.
Accordingly, the growing evidence from neuroscience suggests that what we traditionally call the 'mind'—encompassing thoughts, feelings, memories, and consciousness—is an emergent property of the physical processes within the brain. The conscious state is tied to the neurobiology and can alter with changes in the brain's physical state, with no clear evidence for a separate, non-physical mind.
This monistic approach provides a counterargument to dualism by directly linking mental activities, including qualia, to brain activities without requiring a non-physical realm. Thus, most contemporary research leans towards qualia as being state variables within the framework of a physical brain, rather than inputs to a separate, immaterial mind.