Verified Document

Mind: A Theory Of Mind Is Basically Essay

Related Topics:

¶ … Mind: A theory of mind is basically described as the particular cognitive ability to understand other people as deliberate agents, which imply that it's the ability to interpret people's minds based on theoretical concepts of planned states like desires and beliefs. In philosophy, there is a common notion that the special cognitive ability in intrinsically dependent on individuals linguistic capabilities. The interpretation of the actions and intentions of other people includes a combined credit of complete mental states that enable the understanding of the social world to become logical and intelligible. There are various major theories of mind that focus on explaining the human mind including the identity theory, functionalism, and eliminative materialism.

The identity theory of mind states that the conditions and processes of the human mind are similar to the conditions and processes of the brain (Smart par, 1). Under this theory, identifying mind and brain can be regarded as an issue of identifying the conditions and processes of both the mind and the brain. As the second major theory of mind, the functionalism theory is the most popular and well-recognized theory in which mental states like beliefs, hopes, fears, and pains are eventually characterized by the functions they perform. This theory is considered as a materialistic theory because it moves beyond the identity theory and behaviorism. The eliminative materialism theory is the most radical theory of the mind that states that the normal, common-sense of the mind is essentially wrong and refutes all the mental states posited...

This is the major similarity in the theories since the identity theory is regarded as reductive materialism while functionalism is described as materialistic theory and eliminative materialism is also a materialistic theory as suggested by its name. In this case, materialism states all things consist of material as all phenomena are products of material interactions. One of the fundamental principles of materialism that is used as the basis for the three main theories of mind is that matter or energy is the only thing that exists.
Historical Successes:

The second major similarity is the historical successes that theorists of each of the theories have pointed out. The identity theorists can point to the historical cases of inter-theoretic reduction that have been successful. On the other hand, functionalism theorists can point to the success in the elimination of identity theory through the introduction of a perspective that exceeds the previous two theories. Similarly, eliminative materialists single out the successful cases of absolute elimination of the ontology of an elderly theory in favor of a new superior and…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited:

Carnie, Euan F. "Approaches to Action." UCB Library. The University of British Columbia, Jan. 1993. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. .

Churchland, Paul. "Eliminative Materialism." UC San Diego Department of Philosophy. University of California. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. .

"Functionalism." Philosophy of Mind. Philosophy Online. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. .

"Intro Mind Notes, Weeks 5-6: Consciousness and Materialism." College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. The University of Houston. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://www.class.uh.edu/phil/garson/IMNotes5.htm>.
Ramsey, William. "Eliminative Materialism." (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Stanford University, 9 Oct. 2007. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/materialism-eliminative/>.
Smart, John J. "The Mind/Brain Identity Theory." (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Stanford University, 18 May 2007. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mind-identity/>.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Theories Presented in Understandable Narrative
Words: 792 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

In addition to an automatic evaluation, there needs to also be a "reflective evaluative process" in order to store information from present experiences for use in future experiences (Cunningham, et al., 2007). Basically this theory is that "reflective evaluative processes" are created (based on experience) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which takes the formulation of evaluation to a higher level, beyond attitude and beyond basic emotional responses. In other

Mind and Body in History
Words: 1942 Length: 5 Document Type: Research Paper

For Marx, of course, economics and class conflicts were the base of society, and social change proceeded through revolutions, such as the French, American and English Revolutions against feudalism in the 17th and 18th Centuries. In the future, capitalism would be overthrown by a socialist revolution, starting with the most advanced industrial economies in the West (Greene, p. 200). Comte argued that sociology should be concerned with the "laws

Theories Tactics Methods and Techniques
Words: 24173 Length: 76 Document Type: Term Paper

EDSE 600: History and Philosophy of Education / / 3.0 credits The class entitled, History and Philosophy of Education, focused on the origin of education and the "philosophical influences of modern educational theory and practice. Study of: philosophical developments in the Renaissance, Reformation, and revolutionary periods; social, cultural and ideological forces which have shaped educational policies in the United States; current debates on meeting the wide range of educational and social-emotional

Relation of Game Theory and Gambling
Words: 2804 Length: 8 Document Type: Essay

Game theory is a critical form of decision making that is used in various subjects like economy and political science. Its relevance is becoming prominent in the success rates that have come out in gambling and sports betting. The theory is basically an amalgamation of different models of cooperation and conflict between various decision makers (Myerson, 1991) Thus, it can be safely stated that the theory itself is not just

Medical Theory Ever Since the
Words: 3095 Length: 10 Document Type: Application Essay

As mentioned earlier, the desired outcome of nursing care is comfort and there are many articles in which the researchers have talked about the needs of the patients and the things that alter the comfort of the patients. Kolcaba suggested that the cancer patients who are terminally ill can benefit from comfort care as it pays attention to the perspective and needs of the patients. Through such kind of

Comparing and Contrasting the Key Personality Theories and Theorists...
Words: 6049 Length: 15 Document Type: Essay

Personality Theories in Psychology To the layperson, the term personality is a generic descriptor for an individual's traits. However, personality has a more specific meaning to psychologists. According to Dan McAdams, "Personality psychology is the scientific study of the whole person" (McAdams, 2006, p.12, para.1). While different psychologists and their theories have become well-known enough to be referenced in casual conversation, there is still some confusion among laypeople about personality

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now