PhD Doctor of Philosophy Philosophy of Mind and Consciousness 2

Question 1

Eliminative materialism, defended by Paul and Patricia Churchland, holds that folk psychological concepts like 'belief' and 'desire' will eventually be:

Accepted Answer

Replaced by neuroscientific descriptions

Answer

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:

Accepted Answer

Does not constitute genuine understanding

Answer

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:

Accepted Answer

About or directed toward objects

Answer

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:

Accepted Answer

Different physical substrates

Answer

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:

Accepted Answer

A higher-order mental state representing it

Answer

HOT theories, associated with David Rosenthal, argue that consciousness requires a higher-order thought that one is in a given mental state.

PhD Doctor of Philosophy Practice Test

PhD Doctor of Philosophy Practice Test

PhD Doctor of Philosophy Philosophy of Mind and Consciousness 2