In the
philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the ontology and nature of the mind and its relationship with the body. The mind–body problem is a paradigmatic issue in philosophy of mind, although a number of other issues are add ...
, emergent (or emergentist) materialism is a theory which asserts that the
mind is irreducibly existent in some sense. However, the mind does not exist in the sense of being an
ontological
In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality.
Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into categories and which of these entities exi ...
simple. Further, the study of
mental phenomena is independent of other sciences. The theory primarily maintains that the human mind's evolution is a product of material nature and that it cannot exist without material basis.
Overview
The view holds that mental properties emerge as novel properties of complex material systems.
These are conceptually irreducible as physical properties of the complexes that have them. The theory, however, states that the mind is independent due to the causal influences between body and mind.
This is described as a "primitive relation" that is grounded in or dependent on the physical, but with metaphysical necessity.
Emergent materialism can be divided into emergence which denies
mental causation and emergence which allows for causal effect. A version of the latter type has been advocated by
John R. Searle, called
biological naturalism
Biological naturalism is a theory about, among other things, the relationship between consciousness and body (i.e. brain), and hence an approach to the mind–body problem. It was first proposed by the philosopher John Searle in 1980 and is def ...
.
The other main group of materialist views in the philosophy of mind can be labeled non-emergent (or non-emergentist) materialism, and includes pure physicalism (
eliminative materialism
Eliminative materialism (also called eliminativism) is a materialist position in the philosophy of mind. It is the idea that majority of the mental states in folk psychology do not exist. Some supporters of eliminativism argue that no coherent ...
),
identity theory (reductive materialism),
philosophical
behaviorism, and
functionalism.
See also
*
Cartesian dualism Cartesian means of or relating to the French philosopher René Descartes—from his Latinized name ''Cartesius''. It may refer to:
Mathematics
* Cartesian closed category, a closed category in category theory
*Cartesian coordinate system, moder ...
*
Emergentism
*
Emergence
*
Epiphenomenalism
Epiphenomenalism is a position on the mind–body problem which holds that physical and biochemical events within the human body ( sense organs, neural impulses, and muscle contractions, for example) are the sole cause of mental events (thought, ...
*
Materialism
*
Mind-body problem
*
Monism
Monism attributes oneness or singleness (Greek: μόνος) to a concept e.g., existence. Various kinds of monism can be distinguished:
* Priority monism states that all existing things go back to a source that is distinct from them; e.g., i ...
*
Physicalism
References
External links
M.D. Robertson, ''Dualism vs. Materialism: A Response to Paul Churchland''
Materialism
Theory of mind
Metaphysics of mind
Materialism
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