Polger on the Illusion of Contingent Identity
International Journal of Philosophical Studies 19 (4):593 - 602 (2011)
| Abstract | Abstract Thomas Polger has argued in favour of the mind?brain type?identity theory, the view that mental states or processes are type?identical to states of the central nervous system. Acknowledging that the type?materialist must respond to Kripke?s modal anti?materialist argument, Polger insists that Kripke?s argument rests on dubious assumptions concerning the identity conditions of brain states. In brief, Polger claims that one knows that x and y are non?identical when one knows the identity conditions for both x and y. Replace x and y with ?brain states? and ?sensations? and it follows that one can know that brain states and sensations are non?identical only if one knows the identity conditions for brain states. But according to Polger, we do not know the identity conditions for brain states. Hence, we should not be so confident that brain states and sensations are non?identical after all. But Polger?s account is terribly flawed. Ironically, if Polger?s scepticism is warranted, then Polger himself has no good reasons to be a type?materialist. But more importantly, Polger?s scepticism regarding the identity conditions of brain states is deeply defective. We do, I submit, understand the identity conditions of brain states. In the end, I submit, Kripke is safe from Polger | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,672 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesThomas Polger (2004). Natural Minds. MIT Press.
Thomas W. Polger (2009). Identity Theories. Philosophy Compass 4 (5):822-834.
Richard Brown (2006). What is a Brain State? Philosophical Psychology 19 (6):729-742.
J. J. C. Smart, The Identity Theory of Mind. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Brandon N. Towl (2011). Mind-Brain Correlations, Identity, and Neuroscience. Philosophical Psychology 25 (2):187 - 202.
Simone Gozzano (2012). Type-Identity Conditions for Phenomenal Properties. In Simone Gozzano & Christopher S. Hill (eds.), New Perspective on Type Identity. The Mental and the Physical. ambridge University Press.
Thomas W. Polger (2011). Are Sensations Still Brain Processes? Philosophical Psychology 24 (1):1-21.
Lynne Rudder Baker (1994). Attitudes as Nonentities. Philosophical Studies 76 (2-3):175-203.
Clive Vernon Borst (1970). The Mind-Brain Identity Theory: A Collection of Papers. New York,St Martin's P..
Norman Swartz (1975). Emergence and Materialist Theories of Sentience. World Futures 14 (3):241-267.
Irving Thalberg (1978). A Novel Approach to Mind-Brain Identity. Philosophy of Science 3 (April):255-72.
Norman M. Swartz (1974). Can the Theory of Contingent Identity Between Sensation-States and Brain-States Be Made Empirical? Canadian Journal of Philosophy 3 (March):405-17.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2011-10-20Total downloads9 ( #114,014 of 549,065 )Recent downloads (6 months)2 ( #37,252 of 549,065 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
