more from this thinker     |     more from this text


Single Idea 4607

[filed under theme 18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 4. Folk Psychology ]

Full Idea

Folk psychology and neuroscience are not competitors, any more than cartography and geology are competitors.

Gist of Idea

Folk psychology and neuroscience are no more competitors than cartography and geology are

Source

John Heil (Philosophy of Mind [1998], Ch.5)

Book Ref

Heil,John: 'Philosophy of Mind' [Routledge 1998], p.152


A Reaction

This seems true enough, unless someone like Fodor claims that the correct way to do neuroscience is to try to explicate folk psychology categories in terms of brain function. Folk psychology is fine for folk.


The 19 ideas with the same theme [is the truth about minds found in normal speech?]:

Can we give a scientific, computational account of folk psychology? [Putnam]
We don't postulate folk psychology, we experience it [Searle]
Folk psychology covers input, internal role, and output [Jackson]
A culture without our folk psychology would be quite baffling [Kim]
Folk psychology has been remarkably durable [Kim]
Maybe folk psychology is a simulation, not a theory [Kim]
Folk psychology has adapted to Freudianism [Kim]
Folk psychology makes good predictions, by associating mental states with causal roles [Lewis]
If folk psychology gives a network of causal laws, that fits neatly with functionalism [Churchland,PM]
Many mental phenomena are totally unexplained by folk psychology [Churchland,PM]
Folk psychology never makes any progress, and is marginalised by modern science [Churchland,PM]
Like the 'centre of gravity', desires and beliefs are abstract concepts with no actual existence [Dennett]
You couldn't drive a car without folk psychology [Dennett]
Folk psychology explains behaviour by reference to intentional states like belief and desire [Fodor]
Folk psychology is the only explanation of behaviour we have [Fodor]
Folk psychology works badly for alien cultures [Lyons]
Folk psychology and neuroscience are no more competitors than cartography and geology are [Heil]
Folk psychology is ridiculously dualist in its assumptions [Segal]
Folk essentialism rests on belief in natural kinds, in hidden properties, and on words indicating structures [Gelman]