Archive for October, 2006

Kim on the Functionalizability of Qualia Differences and Similarities

Posted by Brad Thompson on October 30th, 2006

By the end of Physicalism, Or Something Near Enough, Kim arrives at the view that all mental properties except qualia are reducible. Qualia, because they cannot be functionalized, resist reduction. Kim’s view is meant to be “near enough” to physicalism in that the cognitive and the intentional (but not the qualitative) are physically reducible. Kim is particularly interested in arriving at a view of the mental that saves most of our intuitions about causal efficacy. To this end, he claims that in addition to the cognitive/intentional, the differences and similarities among qualia (but not their intrinsic characters) are functionalizable and “can enjoy causal powers as full members of the physical world”. But I am not convinced that this is a tenable position, nor that it is near enough to physicalism to satisfy our central intuitions of causal efficacy. [......]

Kim on General Mental Properties

Posted by Robert Howell on October 11th, 2006

Perhaps it was because a Kim student was in the room, but the SMU mind group was hard pressed to come up with objections to the first half of Kim’s recent “Physicalism or Something Near Enough.” It is written in Kim’s usual (unusually) elegant style, and while it retreads much familiar ground, one doesn’t regret the tour. In particular his discussion of causal drainage helps to round out one’s understanding of the debate, and his chapter on substance dualism is one of those pieces which should find its way into standard texts. Despite all this, I think we all felt a need for further explanation on at least one point: the status of non-species specific mental properties…

Where is my mind?

Posted by Clayton Littlejohn on October 10th, 2006

Is the mind in the head? Gualtiero Piccinini over at the other philosophy of mind blog known as “the other philosophy of mind blog” just raised the question and I’d like to solicit some reader responses.
For the record, I’m inclined to say that the mind isn’t in the head. It’s not that I [...]