TYPE IDENTITY Flashcards
what is type identity
all mental states are identical to brain states although brain states and mental states are not synonymous (not an analytical reduction)
what is the c-fibres and pain example
for someone to say that c-fibres are firing is just a technical term for feeling pain. so a type identity theorist would say that they are identical, in the same way lightning is identical to electrical discharge
JCC SMART-sensations and brain processes.
correlations
water is h20 example
mental states and brain states are contingently identical.
mental states ontologically reduce to brain states.
one ontological reduction- water=h20. they are not correlations. not analytical as its not a logical contradiction to say water is not h20
what is ockhams razor
the simplest answer is the best option, one with the least .
if two theories make the same prediction, then the one with the fewest entities is often the best
the location problem
example c-fibers
pain doesn’t appear to be in the same place as the c-fibres, if you locate my c-fibres it doesn’t seem like you’ve located my subjective mental sensation of pain.
therefore they are not the same.
Multiple realisability