Philosophy Identity Theory Questions Medium
In the philosophy of identity, supervenience plays a crucial role in understanding the relationship between mental and physical states. Supervenience refers to the idea that mental properties or states are dependent on, or supervene upon, physical properties or states. This means that any change in the mental realm must be accompanied by a corresponding change in the physical realm.
Identity theorists argue that mental states, such as thoughts, emotions, or consciousness, are identical to specific physical states of the brain. They believe that mental properties are not separate or independent from physical properties but are rather reducible to them. In other words, mental states are nothing more than physical states of the brain.
Supervenience helps to explain how mental states can be grounded in physical states. It asserts that any change in mental states must be grounded in a change in physical states. For example, if someone experiences a change in their mental state, such as feeling happy, there must be a corresponding change in the physical state of their brain. This implies that mental states are not causally independent but are determined by the underlying physical states.
Supervenience also addresses the issue of multiple realizability, which is the idea that different physical systems can give rise to the same mental states. For instance, a human brain and a computer could both exhibit the mental state of sadness. Supervenience allows for this possibility by stating that while the mental state is the same, the physical states underlying it may differ.
Overall, supervenience is a key concept in the philosophy of identity as it helps to explain the relationship between mental and physical states. It provides a framework for understanding how mental properties are dependent on physical properties and how mental states can be grounded in physical states.