perm filename FODOR[RDG,DBL] blob
sn#555925 filedate 1981-01-13 generic text, type T, neo UTF8
"The Mind-Body Problem"
Overhead
Fodor's article in January 81 "Scientific American".
(After overviewing this article, I'll discuss its content)
Prof @ MIT in Psychology & Philosophy/Linguistics
Motivation - Philosophical article
Mentioned AI in intro
I never understood dualism vs functionalism...,
& these seemed relevant to discussions re: intelligent machines/people
Organization:
Intro
Describes & Critiques Prior Explanations
The answer - functionalism
Futher issues of Mind
(And I'll just give quick paraphrase of this, in order.
See diagram)
Content
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History
Philosophy recent interest in explaining Psychological states
Is mind material, or etherial?
Dualist vs Materialists [Behavior & Identity]
↑ Watson
Dualist: Mind is non-physical
Problem: Violation of physical laws (conservation...)
Mind-body causality
Fallen from favor for other reasons as well.
Radical Behaviorist:
Character:
Only stimulus/response
Role of Psy is catalog S/Rs.
Plus:
Better than ghosts
Problem:
No talk of mental causes/states, ...
Logical Behaviorist: Provides semantics to mental states:
Character:
Equates mental states with behavioral disposition
Every mental ascription ≡ (in meaning) to If/Then rule
Translates mental language into language of S/R
Plus:
Provides a materialistic account of mental causation
Problem:
Insists there are NO mental causes
Does not account for all interactions [between of mental states] 116
Does not allow abstraction
Requires open-ended # behavior hypotheticals
to spell out the behavior dispositions expressed by mental term
Central-State Identity Theorist:
Character:
Mental causes ≡ neurophysiological events in brain
Plus:
Can have totally interal interactions [NOT leading to behaviour]
So mental processes really physical
Problem:
Need abstraction - above level of neuron!
Hardware based - how about Software?
Functionalist - from Cognitive Science
Character:
Not what stuff is made of, but how arranged.
View of information processor - with states...
Stuff comes in, states change, stuff goes out.
Plus:
Compatible with best of LB & C-SIT, but independent of material
(and so extendable to other systems)
Problem:
Not untruth, just triviality
[If states only functionally defined, then like Homonculi ]
Answer: must suggest mechanism itself
Here Turing machine (well defined computation on discrete symbols)
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Questions re: Functionalism -
1) Not limited to minds
2) Qualitative vs Quantitative Content [inverted spectrum - green/red]
- if functionally the same, how to distinguish?
3) Handling of intentional content of mental states
(propositions) - Functionalism has done well here.
Basically: Symbols (they also have intentional content)
4) Issues of representation(al theory of the mind)
Resemblence, and that set of problems ("tall"ness of John)
Here Functionalism helps: semantics depending on function
(↑ This seems central issue to empirical theories of the mind)
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Token Physicalism: All mental particular WHICH HAPPEN TO EXIST are
neurophysiological.
Type Physicalism: The only mental particulars must be neurophysiological.
Hence Type P. dismisses machines & disembodies spirits, as no neurons