Functionalism And Physicalism :: essays research papers

Functionalism and Physicalism     While acquiring knowledge on the topics of Functionalism andPhysicalism, I ran across many disagreement between the two. Interestingly,those disagreements gave me an impression of different sides parameter with theirown support from their own theories. As if an Arabian and a Roman were arguingabout whether the number eleven is an "Arabic" number or a "Roman" number.Though, as I read more and more of the readings (especi eithery Putnams), I startedto plan a pattern that led me to think that maybe Functionalism is compatiblewith Physicalism after all that these two theories can coexist.     The claim above is based on the information gathered in the two readingsassigned and therefore, I should go step by step in order to arrive at my final result that they can indeed coexist. First, I draw Ned Blocks elaborationon Meta sensual Functionalism as a start of my argument. As Block suggests,Metaphysi cal Functionalism is mainly hit about what mental states areinstead of a psychological explanation (Block, p. 172). Moreover, they c oncernthemselves with mental state type not a specific sign of the type. As in thecase of pain, they are concerned with a mental state called pain, and not ofparticular song (i.e. stomach-ache, pin-pricks, etc.). But, according toPutnam, if the Physicalists does indeed attributes the name "physical states"to the enormous number of mental states we humans have, then, I think it wouldbe impossible for them to be concerned only with the type and not the tokens.But once they started to consider each specific pain (token), they will have toascribe a different physical-chemical state to each token-state. Ultimately,the common thing "to all pains in virtue of which they are pains (Block, p.172)" cannot be put in terms of a single physical state. Recall that the sameproblem does not exist in the consideration of Functionalism becauseFunction alism concern itself basically with the causal relations between thesetokens and not a particular one. Therefore, the common thing that exists inFunctionalism "to all pains in virtue of which they are pains" is actually the