Reductive and Non-reductive Physicalism Flashcards
Physicalism (2)
A) The universe consists only of physical stuff
B) Everything can be described, explained & predicted using only physics
Reductive physicalism
Everything can be perfectly reduced to physics
Non-reductive physicalism (3)
A) Mental stuff is not literally the same as physical stuff, but it arise from it
B) Because reducing means losing detail
C) Because different explanations of the same thing can be useful in different situations
Behaviorism
Mental states are behavioral dispositions (everything mental can be reduced to behavior)
Arguments for behaviorism (2)
A) Led to the ‘success’ of logical positivism (strategy: philosophical problems are category mistakes)
B) Allows for the possibility of access to mental states
Arguments against behaviorism (3)
A) There is too many (possibly infinitely many) different mental states to translate into behavioral dispositions
B) Mental actions would be impossible (e.g. calculating in my head is not observable in my behavior)
C) Acting as if: behaviorists would have to assume that we are in the mental state we are faking
Identity theory (3)
A) Mental states = physical states = brain states
B) A posteriori
C) We are our brains
Arguments for identity theory (3)
A) Authority: historical success of physics is also expected of neuroscience
But: inductive
B) Accommodates common sense intuitions (that our knowledge is limited by our senses)
But: axioms
C) Conceivability: if body teleported mind would also be
But: just because closely connected doesn’t mean identical
Arguments against identity theory (3)
A) Zombies (conceivability):
Qualia zombies possible -> IT false
B) Hempel’s dilemma:
Physics is not a static, singular entity it is constantly evolving
C) Knowledge arguments:
1)Bat: If we cannot account for the subjective character of experience, we cannot account for the mind
2) Jackson & Mary: If we cannot account for qualia, we cannot account for the mind
Functionalism (3)
A) Mental states = functional states
B) Input -> mental states -> output
C) E.g. What software is to hardware
Arguments for functionalism (2)
A) Success of computer science & cognitive science
B) Multiple realizability:
1) Same types of mental states can be realized in different types of physical states (E.g. robot, aliens = conceivability)
2) Same mental states in different physical processes (E.g. animals = science)
Arguments against functionalism (2)
A) Liberalism objection:
What if neurons replaced with Chinese citizen? Still same brain state?
B) Chinese room objection:
Person in room translates messages according to code into chinese -> appears functionally chinese
Therefore: different mental states can have same functional states
