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Single Idea 8685
[filed under theme 17. Mind and Body / E. Mind as Physical / 2. Reduction of Mind
]
Full Idea
In the hierarchy of reduction, when we investigate questions in biology, we have to assume the laws of chemistry but not of economics. We could never find a law of biology that contradicted something in physics or in chemistry.
Gist of Idea
Studying biology presumes the laws of chemistry, and it could never contradict them
Source
Michèle Friend (Introducing the Philosophy of Mathematics [2007], 3.1)
Book Ref
Friend,Michèle: 'Introducing the Philosophy of Mathematics' [Acumen 2007], p.51
A Reaction
This spells out the idea that there is a direction of dependence between aspects of the world, though we should be cautious of talking about 'levels' (see Idea 7003). We cannot choose the direction in which reduction must go.
Related Idea
Idea 7003
There are levels of organisation, complexity, description and explanation, but not of reality [Heil]
The
22 ideas
with the same theme
[all mental events can be explained physically]:
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5713
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You needn't be made of laughing particles to laugh, so why not sensation from senseless seeds?
[Lucretius]
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7550
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We could probably, in principle, infer minds from brains, and brains from minds
[Russell]
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9317
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Searle argues that biology explains consciousness, but physics won't explain biology
[Searle, by Kriegel/Williford]
|
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3474
|
If mind is caused by brain, does this mean mind IS brain?
[Searle]
|
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3500
|
Can the homunculus fallacy be beaten by recursive decomposition?
[Searle]
|
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6986
|
Is the dependence of the psychological on the physical a priori or a posteriori?
[Jackson]
|
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3433
|
The core of the puzzle is the bridge laws between mind and brain
[Kim]
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4900
|
Prior to Kripke, the mind-brain identity theory usually claimed that the identity was contingent
[Perry]
|
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3989
|
I am a reductionist about mind because I am an a priori reductionist about everything
[Lewis]
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7657
|
Intelligent agents are composed of nested homunculi, of decreasing intelligence, ending in machines
[Dennett]
|
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7879
|
Mind-brain reduction is less explanatory, because phenomenal concepts lack causal roles
[Papineau]
|
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20971
|
Weak reduction of mind is to physical causes; strong reduction is also to physical laws
[Papineau]
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21834
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Sensations may be identical to brain events, but complex mental events don't seem to be
[Flanagan]
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10826
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'Valence' and 'gene' had to be reduced to show their compatibility with physicalism
[Field,H]
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6530
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We reduce the mind through homuncular groups, described abstractly by purpose
[Lycan]
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6536
|
Teleological functionalism helps us to understand psycho-biological laws
[Lycan]
|
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7704
|
Reduction of intentionality involving nonexistent objects is impossible, as reduction must be to what is actual
[Jacquette]
|
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4597
|
Early identity theory talked of mind and brain 'processes', but now the focus is properties
[Heil]
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4903
|
Scans of brains doing similar tasks produce very similar patterns of activation
[Carter,R]
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4920
|
Thinking takes place on the upper side of the prefrontal cortex
[Carter,R]
|
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4688
|
We imagine small and large objects scaled to the same size, suggesting a fixed capacity for imagination
[Lavers]
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8685
|
Studying biology presumes the laws of chemistry, and it could never contradict them
[Friend]
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