Eliminative materialism issues

• What do eliminativists claim about folk psychology?

  It is a false theory of the mind.
• What does folk psychology involve?

  Attributing intentional states like beliefs and desires.
• How does ontological reduction relate to water and H₂O?

  It explains water's properties in terms of H₂O molecules.
• Does ontological reduction deny the reality of the thing it reduces?

  No, it does not deny the reality of the thing.
• What concept was abandoned in the study of heat?

  The concept of 'caloric'.
• What does eliminativism reject about mental states?

  It rejects their reduction to neurophysiology.
• What does eliminativism claim about folk psychological concepts?

  They radically misrepresent human nature.
• What should replace folk psychology according to eliminativism?

  A more advanced theoretical account from neuroscience.
• How does Patricia Churchland illustrate eliminativism?

  By discussing the concept of a "big ego".
• Why is folk psychology considered inadequate?

  It cannot explain sleep, dreams, or learning.
• What does Paul Churchland conclude about folk psychology?

  It will soon be eclipsed by neuroscience.
• What happens to folk theories as science matures?

  They are often abandoned for more accurate theories.
• What is an example of a folk understanding that was abandoned?

  The idea that diseases spread by "bad air".
• What theory replaced the folk understanding of disease spread?

  The germ theory of disease.
• What are the main arguments for eliminativism?

  • Folk psychology is inadequate for explaining human nature.
  • It has stagnated since Ancient Greek times.
  • Folk theories generally do not survive scientific advancement.
• Our certainty about the existence of our mental states

  P1 when you look into your own mind you appear to be directly aware of your own mental states, such as your beliefs, desires and sensations

  P2 it is absurd to deny the existence of what one is directly aware of

  C so eliminativism is wrong to deny the existence of the mental states picked out by the concepts of folk psychology
• What does adopting a new scientific framework change about recognizing mental states?

  It changes recognition from beliefs to different postulates
• What is the predictive and explanatory power of folk psychology?

  It has good predictive and explanatory power
• How effective is folk psychology in predicting human behavior?

  It is quite effective in various situations
• How can you predict someone's actions using folk psychology?

  By knowing their beliefs and desires
• What example illustrates the predictive power of folk psychology?

  Going out with an umbrella when it rains
• How long has folk psychology been around according to historical evidence?

  At least 5000 years
• What does the universality of folk psychology suggest about human cultures?

  It is a universal concept across cultures
• Why is folk psychology considered essential for early human cooperation?

  It allows ascribing intentional states to others
• What does the success of folk psychology indicate about its account of human nature?

  It shows it is a very successful account
• How does modern psychology relate to folk psychology?

  It employs many basic concepts of folk psychology
• What role do folk psychology concepts play in mental health therapies?

  They are central to many therapies
• Why is folk psychology still considered the best hypothesis?

  Neuroscience lacks a better alternative
• Eliminative materialism is self reducing

  P1 Eliminativism claims that mental states, much as beliefs, do not exist

  P2 but if beliefs do not exist then it is not possible to believe that Eliminative materialism is true. And, if the language used to articulate the theory doesn’t really express genuine propositions or beliefs then it is meaningless

  C1 therefore according to the eliminativist’s own view, it is not possible to believe and coherently articulate eliminativism

  C2 and so the theory is self-refuting
• vitalist argue like this

  P1 anti-vitalists claim that vital spirit doesn’t exist

  P2 but if vital spirit doesn’t exist, then the vitalist is not alive

  P3 if the anti-vitalist is not alive then the words they use to articulate their view are not expressions of genuine beliefs and so are meaningless

  C so according to the anti-vitalist’s own view, it is not possible to believe their claims, and so anti-vitalism is self-refuting