Terms for Philosophy of Mind

Note: This is just a basic glossary, with short definitions, to help you get started in this subject. It is not intended to be a substitute for the more detailed understanding you should attain from class.

Epistemology: That branch of philosophy which has to do with the limits, extent, and basis of human knowledge. (The theory of knowledge)

Empiricism: An epistemological theory which asserts that all knowledge ultimately derives from the senses.

Skepticism: An epistemological theory which says that we can know little or nothing with certainty.

Rationalism:An epistemological theory which asserts that all knowledge ultimately derives from logic, reason, or other operations of the mind. 

Ontology: That branch of philosophy which studies what exists, what is ultimately real in the universe. (The theory of being)

Monism: An ontological view which asserts that there is only one ultimately real sort of thing in the universe.

Dualism: An ontological view which asserts that there are only two ultimately real kinds of thing in the universe (typically mind and body).

Pluralism: When used in the context of ontology, this view asserts that there are more than two ultimately real kinds of things in the universe.

Materialism: A monistic ontological theory which asserts that matter (physical substance) is all that is ultimately real in the universe.

Idealism: A monistic ontological theory which asserts that ideas, or mental entities are all that is ultimately real in the universe.

The Mind/Body Problem: This problem arises for a dualist such as Descartes, who asserts that both mind (mental substance) and body (physical substance) are real; this presents the difficulty of explaining how the mind interacts with the body. In other words, how does the mind (an unextended, non-physical substance) cause the body (an extended, physical substance) to act?

Intentionality: This refers to the "aboutness" of mental states. In part, this is what makes mental states different from physical things, in that a thought, attitude, emotion, desire, or belief is generally said to be "about" something; whereas chairs and rocks are not.

Multiple Realizability: Most functionalists believe that a given mental state is multiply realizable, meaning that the same mental state can be instantiated or realized in many different kinds of physical entities. A famous example of multiple realizability comes from Putnam: I can be hungry, and an octopus can be hungry, so we can both be in the same mental states, yet we are in very different physical states. This argument was used against strong identity theory and was also used to downplay the explanatory role of neuroscience. Recently, the doctrine of multiple realizability has been very strongly attacked by philosophers of mind and cognitive scientists. 

Behaviorism: For a behaviorist, mental states are to be understood in terms of specific behaviors. To be in pain, for example, means to behave as if one is in pain. Although there is a wide variety of behaviorist theories, they all attempt to avoid talk about mental states favor of talk about behavior, which is publicly observable.


Identity Theory: For identity theorists, mental states are identified with physical states; specifically, brain states. Identity theorists disagree over the strength and specificity of the identity in question. Strong identity theorists hold that there are regular and specific, one-to-one correlations between kinds of mental states and kinds of brain states. For an identity theorist, to be in pain means that one is in a specific kind of physical (brain) state.  


Functionalism: Functionalists understand mental states not so much in terms of what they consist of, ontologically, but rather what they do - i.e., how they function with respect to other inputs and outputs. These other inputs and outputs may include other thoughts, environmental stimuli, behaviors, etc. For a functionalist, for example, pain is to be understood as the functional intermediary between such inputs as hitting one's thumb with a hammer, and such outputs as screaming "ouch!".


Cognitive Science: A multi-disciplinary field developed in the 20th century to study the processes and activities of the mind and brain, particularly those having to do with intellect, emotion, and rationality. Some of the most important disciplines which contribute to cognitive science are philosophy, neuroscience, computer science, psychology, and linguistics. Other fields, such as sociology and anthropology may also play a role in cognitive science.

Epiphenomenalism: A dualistic theory which asserts that though the mind is real, it is only an after-effect of the natural processes of the brain, and has no causal effect on the brain or body. 

Parallelism: A dualistic theory which asserts that both mind and brain are real, but that neither interact with each other.

Supervenience Theory: This theory asserts, "No mental difference without a physical difference".