Philosophy Functionalism Questions Medium
In Functionalism, supervenience refers to the relationship between mental states and physical states. It is the idea that mental states, such as thoughts, beliefs, and desires, are dependent on and determined by the underlying physical states of the brain and body.
According to functionalists, mental states are not reducible to or identical with physical states, but they are causally dependent on them. This means that any change in the physical state of an organism will result in a corresponding change in its mental state. For example, if there is a change in the neural activity in the brain, it will lead to a change in the thoughts or experiences of the individual.
Supervenience can be understood as a hierarchical relationship, where mental states are said to supervene on physical states. This means that any difference in mental states must be grounded in a difference in physical states. In other words, if two individuals have the same physical states, they will have the same mental states, and conversely, if two individuals have different mental states, they must have different physical states.
Functionalism emphasizes the functional role of mental states in relation to behavior and the environment. It argues that mental states are not defined by their physical properties, but by their causal relations to other mental states, behavior, and environmental stimuli. This allows for the possibility of multiple physical realizations of the same mental state, as long as they perform the same functional role.
Overall, supervenience in Functionalism highlights the interdependence between mental and physical states, suggesting that mental phenomena are ultimately grounded in physical processes. It provides a framework for understanding how mental states are influenced by and connected to the underlying physical reality.