The s Theory Of Biological Naturalism - 937 Words

In this paper I analyze the statement, â€Å"To me, the forest looks a deep shade of green,† from a functionalist perspective, and discuss how it provides a sufficient and an insufficient account of conscious mental phenomena. Functionalism claims that mental states are nothing but functional, causal relations between elements in the brain, such as beliefs and desires, and the external world. First, I analyze the given statement from a functionalist stance. Then, I discuss possible objections to functionalism focusing on the notion of â€Å"qualia† and John Searle’s notion of the Background. Finally, I shall conclude with an analysis on Searle’s theory of biological naturalism, illustrating how it successfully accounts for consciousness and mental states. According to functionalism, mental states are causal states that do not depend on the internal constitution of a particular system, but are defined by their functional roles in the system. It posits that consciousness is equivalent to biological processes that takes appropriate input to cause output behavior. Moreover, because mental states are independent of a system’s internal constitution, the theory permits organisms with non-human physiology to have mental states, as long as they function causally. Hence, the functionalist analysis: the organism in any physical state, visually perceives the forest, which causes a belief in the organism that the forest is a deep shade of green, which in turn functions causally when combined withShow MoreRelatedReductive Materialism792 Words   |  4 PagesReductive Materialism: Reductive materialism is a sub theory or a version of Physicalism. It suggests that sensations of the mind correlate exactly to physical movements of the brain. In other words, every thought or experience which occurs in your mind, can be found as activity in your brain. 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