Lecture 3 Flashcards
what is Folk psychology
functionalism defines mental states as part of a holistic network,
which is a thesis about the nature of the mind
• but it is also possible to focus on the function of mental concepts in
everyday practice
• why do we ascribe beliefs, desires, intentions, emotions etc. to others
and to ourselves?
• this capacity for mental state attribution is known as ‘folk psycholog
what is the The intentional stance?
• folk psychology (i.e. attributing mental states to others)
depends on the intentional stance
• three stances for the prediction and explanation of behavior:
physical, design, intentional
• stance: “how we make sense of it”
physical stance
objects behave according to the laws of
physics. High predictive power, very impractical
design stance
objects behave as if they are designed with a
specific function. Good predictive power, much more practical
intentional stance
objects behave as ideal rational agents with
beliefs and desires
• average predictability, extremely practical!
the intentional stance helps us to make sense of other organisms
in a very practical and efficient way
what is The argument against (folk) psychology and who made it?
Churchland: folk psychology is “a theory whose generalizations connect
mental states to other mental states, to perceptions, and to
actions”
Any theory should be judged by:
• how much it explains
• whether and to what extent there is progress
• to what extent it fits with whatever else is found by science
Folk psychology doesn’t do well on these points…
many phenomena (e.g., sleep, memory, 3D perception, visual
illusions) remain unexplained
• folk psychology resists reduction and doesn’t fit in well with the
findings of neuroscience
• historical track record is one of pure stagnation
why does churchland think that “folk psychology” will be eliminated sooner or later by the populace?
social practice will change substantially in the light
of a ‘truly adequate neuropsychology’
“As the new framework and its more penetrating
practices are made publicly available, it will spread
through the population like wildfire.”
on what do Churchland and Denett agree on?
• we attribute mental states to others in order to explain and
predict their behavior (folk psychology)
• mental states do not exist independently from our folk
psychological practice
what do churchland and Dennet disagree on?
They disagree about:
• which criteria we should use to assess folk psychology.
• Churchland: scientific criteria (predictive/explanatory power)
• Dennett: practical utility
who is associated with the intentional stance?
Dennet
the relation of between psychology and neuroscience, respectively.
Churchland: psychology needs to be eliminated and replaced by
mature neuroscience
Dennett: we need psychology to make sense of neuroscientific
findings
