Philosophy Mind Body Problem Questions
Eliminative materialism is a concept that challenges the traditional dualistic view of the mind-body problem. It argues that mental states and processes, such as thoughts, emotions, and consciousness, are not real or ontologically distinct from physical states and processes in the brain. According to eliminative materialism, our current understanding of the mind is based on outdated and flawed concepts, and it suggests that we should eliminate or discard these mentalistic concepts altogether. Instead, it advocates for a purely physicalist approach, where mental phenomena are explained solely in terms of neural activity and brain processes. In other words, eliminative materialism rejects the existence of a separate non-physical mind and asserts that all mental phenomena can be reduced to and explained by physical processes in the brain.