In This Selection Churchland Examines Functionalism and the Two Prominent

question 2

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.
-According to Churchland, functionalism is almost certainly true.

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Definitions:

Thyroid

A gland in the neck that produces hormones regulating growth and metabolism.

Autonomic Nervous System

A part of the nervous system that controls involuntary functions in the body, such as heart rate, digestion, and respiratory rate.

Somatic Nervous System

Part of the peripheral nervous system associated with the voluntary control of body movements through the action of skeletal muscles.

Sympathetic Nervous System

Part of the autonomic nervous system that prepares the body for rapid responses to stressors, activating the fight-or-flight response.