Functionalism

define functionalism

all mental states can be characterised in terms of functional roles (how it reacts to environmental effects on the body and how it causes other types of mental states and bodily behaviours) which can be multiply realised

what are the two strengths of functionalism?

PUTNAM: overcomes circularity criticism unlike behaviourism

PUTNAM: overcomes multiple realisability theory unlike mind brain type identity theory

what is the strength that functionalism overcomes the multiple realisability criticism?

the same way functional objects eg can openers can be made of different substances and systems, mental states can be made of different substances or systems as they all achieve the same function in the end

eg mental state of pain can be caused by either c fibres or o fibres and still be the mental state of pain because it caused the organism to avoid the pain

this could make it a stronger theory than mind brain type identity theory which doesn’t overcome the criticism

what is the strength that functionalism overcomes the circularity criticism?

functionalism could be argued to be a better theory than behaviourism as behaviourism falls victim to the circularity criticism but functionalism does not

behaviourism says mental states are reduced to behaviours but same mental states can be expressed through any behaviour depending on any accompanying mental states. this means behaviourism eventually becomes circular as when trying to define the accompanying mental states with behaviour, they have to define more accompanying mental states until eventually they try to define the original mental state

functionalism avoids this problem because it is not reducible to behaviour and can also define mental states in terms of other mental states unlike behaviourism

what are criticisms to functionalism?

inverted spectrum

NED BLOCK: China brain

Mary/ knowledge argument

what is the inverted spectrum criticism?

if functionalism is true then two functionally identical mental states are the same mental states

my mental state when i look at the sky can be functionally identical to yours ( causes us both to believe the sky is blue) but phenomenally different ( you experience what i call green but you call blue)

so our two mental states are not the same despite being functionally identical

so functionalism is false

what is the China brain criticism?

imagine we have a complete functional description of human mental states

a human body is hooked up to the entire population of China and each person in China is linked to other people with two way radios

they communicate according to the rules set out by the complete functional description of human mental states

so the Chinese population have recreated a human brain in a functionally identical way

according to functionalism, China brain would actually be in pain if the human body got stabbed but this is not the case

so even though China brain is functionally identical it does not have qualia which means it does not entirely explain mental substances

what is the Mary/ knowledge criticism?

Mary has never seen colour but knows all physical and functional facts about it

when she leaves her black and white room for the first time, she learns something new about what it feels like to see colour

so there are more to mental states than their physical and functional facts

so functionalism is wrong