PHLB81H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Qualia, Turing Machine, Harmonic Oscillator
Document Summary
According to functionalism, what distinguishes one mental kind (say, pain) from another (say, itch) is the distinctive input-output relationship associated with each kind. Causal- theoretical functionalism conceives of this input-output relationship as a causal relation, one that is mediated by mental states. To be a mental state is to be an internal state serving as a causal intermediary between sensory inputs and mental states as causes, on the one hand, and behaviors and other mental states as effects, on the other. Commonly known generalizations: this is essential if we are to ensure that functional definitions yield the psychological concepts that all of us share. Analytical functionalism : the thought is that these well-known psychological generalizations are virtually analytic truths truths that are evident to speakers who understand the meanings of the psychological expressions involved. The form of functionalism that favors empirical scientific theory as the ramseification base is sometimes called psycho-functionalism.
