Functionalism: A Comprehensive Guide

Functionalism: A Comprehensive Guide. Have you ever wondered what makes something a thought, a desire, or a pain? Functionalism is a theory in philosophy of mind that attempts to answer this question. It argues that mental states are defined by their causal relationships to other mental states, sensory inputs, and behavioral outputs. In other words, what makes something a mental state is what it does, not what it is made of.

Functionalism: A Comprehensive Guide

For example, the pain that you feel when you stub your toe is a mental state because it is caused by the stimulation of pain receptors in your toe, and it causes you to withdraw your foot. Similarly, the belief that the sky is blue is a mental state because it is caused by the stimulation of photoreceptors in your eyes, and it causes you to act in certain ways, such as avoiding looking directly at the sun.

Functionalism is a complex and nuanced theory, and there are many different versions of it. However, at its core, functionalism is based on the idea that mental states are defined by their functional roles.

The History of Functionalism

Functionalism has its roots in the early 20th century work of philosophers such as William James and John Dewey. However, it was not until the 1960s and 1970s that functionalism emerged as a dominant theory in philosophy of mind. This was due in part to the work of philosophers such as Hilary Putnam and David Lewis.

Putnam and Lewis argued that functionalism is the best way to explain the nature of mental states because it is consistent with our scientific understanding of the mind. For example, we know that the brain is a physical system, and that mental states such as beliefs and desires are caused by physical processes in the brain. Functionalism is able to accommodate this scientific understanding of the mind because it does not say that mental states are made of anything special or non-physical.

The Different Types of Functionalism

There are many different versions of functionalism, but they all share the core idea that mental states are defined by their functional roles. Some of the most common types of functionalism include:

• Machine state functionalism: This type of functionalism compares mental states to the states of machines. For example, the pain that you feel when you stub your toe is functionally equivalent to the state of a thermostat when the temperature drops below a certain point. Both the pain and the state of the thermostat cause certain behaviors to occur.
• Computational functionalism: This type of functionalism compares mental states to the states of computers. For example, the belief that the sky is blue is functionally equivalent to the state of a computer when it is running a program that represents the belief that the sky is blue. Both the belief and the state of the computer cause certain behaviors to occur, such as avoiding looking directly at the sun.
• Teleofunctionalism: This type of functionalism compares mental states to the states of organisms. For example, the desire for food is functionally equivalent to the state of a bird when it is flying towards a worm. Both the desire and the state of the bird cause certain behaviors to occur, such as flying towards the food.

The Arguments for Functionalism

There are many different arguments for functionalism, but some of the most common include:

• The argument from multiple realizability: This argument points out that there are many different physical systems that can support the same mental states. For example, humans and computers can both have the belief that the sky is blue. This suggests that mental states are not defined by their physical realizations, but rather by their functional roles.
• The argument from the explanatory gap: This argument points out that there is a gap between our scientific understanding of the brain and our understanding of mental states. For example, we know that the brain is a physical system, but we do not know how physical processes in the brain give rise to mental states such as beliefs and desires. Functionalism bridges this gap by explaining mental states in terms of their functional roles.

The Objections to Functionalism

There are also many different objections to functionalism, but some of the most common include:

• The inverted spectrum objection: This objection imagines a world in which everyone’s qualia are inverted. For example, in this world, the color that we call “red” would appear to everyone else as the color that we call “blue.” This objection argues that functionalism cannot explain how the inverted spectrum is possible.
• The Chinese room objection: This objection imagines a person who is locked in a room and given a set of rules for responding to Chinese characters that are written on slips of paper. The person does not understand Chinese, but they are able to follow the rules and produce the correct responses. This objection argues that functionalism cannot explain how the person in the room is able to produce intelligent behavior, even though they do not understand Chinese.

The Future of Functionalism

Functionalism is a complex and nuanced theory, and there are many different versions of it. However, it remains one of the most influential theories in philosophy of mind today. Functionalism has been successful in explaining many of the key features of mental states, such as their intentionality, their causal powers, and their individuation.

However, functionalism also faces a number of challenges. For example, it is not clear how functionalism can explain the inverted spectrum, or how it can account for the role of qualia in our mental lives.

Despite these challenges, functionalism remains a vibrant and active area of research in philosophy of mind. Functionalists are working to address the challenges that the theory faces, and they are also developing new and innovative versions of the theory.

Thoughts

Functionalism is a complex and fascinating theory, and it is one that continues to be debated and discussed by philosophers of mind today. If you are interested in learning more about functionalism, I encourage you to read some of the many books and articles that have been written on the subject.

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What do you think about functionalism? Do you agree with the theory? Do you have any objections to it?

Thank you for reading!