PhD Doctor of Philosophy Philosophy of Mind and Consciousness 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Eliminative materialism, defended by Paul and Patricia Churchland, holds that folk psychological concepts like 'belief' and 'desire' will eventually be:
- Replaced by neuroscientific descriptions (Correct answer)
- Vindicated by cognitive science
- Reduced to functional roles
- Shown to be irreducibly mental
Correct answer: Replaced by neuroscientific descriptions
Eliminativists argue that our common-sense mental vocabulary is a false theory that neuroscience will eliminate rather than reduce.
Question 2: The Chinese Room argument by John Searle attacks strong AI by claiming that symbol manipulation alone:
- Does not constitute genuine understanding (Correct answer)
- Is sufficient for consciousness
- Proves intentionality
- Demonstrates semantic content
Correct answer: Does not constitute genuine understanding
Searle argues that a person following syntactic rules in a room could simulate Chinese understanding without actually understanding Chinese, showing syntax is insufficient for semantics.
Question 3: Intentionality, as a key feature of mental states, refers to their property of being:
- About or directed toward objects (Correct answer)
- Causally efficacious
- Phenomenally conscious
- Physically realized
Correct answer: About or directed toward objects
Intentionality, introduced by Brentano and developed by Husserl, is the 'aboutness' or directedness of mental states toward objects or states of affairs.
Question 4: Multiple realizability, a key argument for functionalism, holds that the same mental state can be realized in:
- Different physical substrates (Correct answer)
- Only biological neurons
- Identical physical structures
- Non-causal systems
Correct answer: Different physical substrates
Putnam argued that pain, for example, could be realized by carbon-based neurons, silicon chips, or other substrates, undermining type identity theory.
Question 5: Higher-order theories of consciousness hold that a mental state is conscious when it is accompanied by:
- A higher-order mental state representing it (Correct answer)
- A first-order sensory state
- Global availability in a workspace
- Phenomenal qualia
Correct answer: A higher-order mental state representing it
HOT theories, associated with David Rosenthal, argue that consciousness requires a higher-order thought that one is in a given mental state.
Question 6: Extended mind theory, proposed by Clark and Chalmers, argues that mental processes can extend beyond the skin and skull into:
- The environment and external tools (Correct answer)
- The linguistic community
- The Platonic realm
- The unconscious
Correct answer: The environment and external tools
Clark and Chalmers argue that notebooks, smartphones, or other environmental resources can be part of the cognitive system if they play the right functional role.
PhD Doctor of Philosophy Philosophy of Mind and Consciousness 2
Eliminative materialism, defended by Paul and Patricia Churchland, holds that folk psychological concepts like 'belief' and 'desire' will eventually be: