Introduction to Philosophy

Achieve Test Prep: Philosophy

Functionalism Ryle’s logical behaviorism is a form of physicalism since the theory holds that there is no immaterial self that exists independently of one’s body or visible behavior. With the invention of computers, many philosophers felt that using computers as a model of human functioning was developed. A model for the connection for the human mind was the connection between sensory stimulation and observable behavior. Functionalism acknowledged that there were mental states that served to connect the sensory stimulation and observable behavior. For functionalism, what makes something a mental state does not depend on its internal constitution, but rather the way it functions, or the role it plays, in the system of which it is a part. Providing a complete analysis of the self means not only identifying the fundamental stimulus/behavioral response connection, but also describing the network of mental states, activities, and processes that are an integral part of the casual connection between the original stimulus and behavioral response. Paul Churchland: Eliminative Materialism Paul Churchland was a contemporary philosopher who articulated the vision that a simple identity formula mental status in which brain states is a flawed way in which to conceptualize the relationship between the mind and the brain. Exploring the mind/brain relationship is leading scientists to correlate specific areas in the brain with areas of mental functioning, both cognitively and emotionally. To fully understand the nature of the mind, we have to fully understand the nature of the brain. Churchland referred to the view of eliminative materialism, which is the claim that our ordinary commonsense understanding of the mind is deeply wrong and that some or all of the mental states posited by common sense do not actually exist. Churchland’s central argument is that the concepts and theoretical vocabulary we use to think about ourselves such as belief, desire, fear, sensation, pain, and joy actually misrepresent the reality of minds and selves. All of these concepts are part of s commonsense “folk psychology” that obscures rather than clarifies the nature of human experience; we need to develop a new conceptual framework and vocabulary founded on neuroscience. Churchland believed that much like the same way that science replaces outmoded, ineffective, and limited conceptual framework with ones that can explain and predict more effectively, the same thing needs to be done in psychology and philosophy of the mind. Materialism holds that the self is inseparable from the substance of the brain and the physiology of the body. Contemporary advances in neurophysiology allow scientist to observe the living brain as it works to process information, create ideas, and move through dream states. Churchland argues that a new accurate, objective and scientifically based understanding of our “selves” will contribute substantially toward a more peaceful and humane society.

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