Philosophy Identity Theory Questions
Eliminative materialism is a concept within Identity Theory that argues for the rejection or elimination of certain mental states or concepts from our understanding of the mind. According to eliminative materialism, our current understanding of mental states, such as beliefs, desires, and emotions, is fundamentally flawed and should be replaced by a more accurate scientific understanding.
This theory suggests that our everyday mental concepts are based on folk psychology, which is a set of common-sense beliefs about the mind. Eliminative materialism claims that these folk psychological concepts are not supported by scientific evidence and are therefore inadequate for explaining the complexities of the mind.
Instead, eliminative materialism proposes that mental states should be understood in terms of the physical processes occurring in the brain. It argues that as neuroscience advances, our understanding of the brain will reveal that mental states are nothing more than physical states of the brain. Therefore, concepts like beliefs and desires will be eliminated and replaced by more precise scientific terms.
Eliminative materialism challenges the traditional view that mental states can be reduced to physical states, known as the identity theory. It argues that the identity theory fails to capture the true nature of the mind and that a more radical reevaluation of our understanding of mental states is necessary.