In This Selection Churchland Examines Functionalism and the Two Prominent

question 1

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.
-In Smart's view, there are no brain processes.

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Definitions:

Audience Members

Individuals who are present as spectators or listeners at an event, such as a concert, play, or lecture.

Programmable Robots

Machines designed to perform complex tasks that can be customized and controlled through programming.

Columbine High School

The site of a tragic mass shooting that occurred on April 20, 1999, in Littleton, Colorado, bringing attention to issues of gun control and school safety.

Littleton, Colorado

A city located in the state of Colorado, United States, known for its suburban setting and as the site of Columbine High School, where a notable school shooting occurred in 1999.