In This Selection Churchland Examines Functionalism and the Two Prominent

question 10

True/False

In this selection Churchland examines functionalism and the two prominent versions of materialism in philosophy of mind. Reductivism claims that there is an identity of mental states with brain states. Functionalism rejects any one-to-one correlation between mental types and physical types and concentrates on the relationship between inputs and outputs. For example, the mental event of pain could be similar in two beings that have altogether different types of bodies and brains. Most functionalists are materialists, but someone could be a functionalist and be a nonmaterialist. Eliminative materialism is more radical than either of these other theories and seeks to eliminate "folk psychology"-talk of beliefs, feelings, and perceptions-in favor of more scientific descriptions of what is going on in the brain. Churchland concludes that the truth may be a combination of the two materialist theories, although the evidence points more in the direction of eliminativism.
-Churchland argues that specific qualia of a mental state are not essential to it.

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Definitions:

Psychoanalytic

Pertains to a theory and therapeutic method developed by Sigmund Freud, focusing on unconscious mental processes and early childhood experiences in shaping behavior and personality.

Sociocultural

Pertaining to the combination of social and cultural factors that influence an individual’s behavior, attitudes, and perceptions.

Bioecological

A theoretical model that emphasizes the importance of multiple levels of environmental influences, starting from the immediate context to broader societal levels, on individual development.

Piaget's Theory

A framework for cognitive development that suggests children move through four stages of mental development.