"Theories of identity in philosophy"
The belief that mental states are identical to physical states in the brain - that there is a one-to-one correspondence between mental and physical entities.
Identity theory: A central topic in philosophy of mind, which argues that mental states and processes are identical to physiological states and processes in the brain and nervous system.
Physicalism: The philosophical position that everything that exists is physical or can be explained by physical laws, including mental states and processes.
Type-identity theory: The view that every type of mental state is identical to some type of physical state, such as pain being identical to C-fiber firing.
Token-identity theory: The view that each instance of a mental state or process is identical to some specific physical state, such as your particular pain being identical to the firing of specific C-fibers in your brain.
Reductionism: The idea that complex phenomena can be reduced to simpler or more fundamental components, and the more complex claims can be explained in terms of the simpler ones.
Supervenience: A relationship between two sets of properties, such that any change in the second set must be accompanied by a change in the first set, but not necessarily vice versa. In the context of philosophy of mind, it holds that any change in mental states must be accompanied by changes in the physical states of the brain or body.
Emergentism: The view that certain complex phenomena, such as consciousness, cannot be reduced to simpler components, and emerge from the interactions between simpler components in a non-reducible way.
Qualia: The subjective, experiential qualities of conscious experiences, such as the redness of red or the pain of a headache. Identity theorists argue that qualia can be reduced to physical processes in the brain, while opponents argue that they are irreducible and must be explained in terms of emergent properties.
Multiple realizability: The possibility that a given mental state or process can be realized in different physical systems or neural circuits. This poses a challenge to type-identity theory, which suggests that each mental state corresponds to a specific physical state.
Mind-body problem: The perennial problem of explaining the relationship between physical and mental states, and how subjective experiences can arise from physical processes. Identity theory is one solution to this problem, but there are many other positions that challenge or supplement it.
Type identity theory: This theory states that every type of mental state is identical to a type of physical state in the brain. For example, pain is identical to a certain pattern of neural firing.
Token identity theory: This theory holds that every token instance of a mental state is identical to a token instance of a physical state. This means that each individual experience of pain is identical to a particular configuration of neural activity.
Supervenience theory: This theory suggests that mental states supervene on physical states. This means that any change in a mental state must be reflected in a corresponding change in a physical state.
Eliminativism: This position claims that mental concepts like beliefs, desires, and emotions do not exist. Instead, they are just convenient fictions that we use to describe behavior.
Functionalism: This approach argues that mental states are defined by their functional roles, not by their physical properties. For example, pain can be defined as that state which causes someone to seek relief from a harmful stimulus.
Multiple realization theory: This theory argues that while mental states may correlate with certain physical states, they can be realized in a variety of different physical systems. In other words, different creatures with different brain structures could have the same mental states.
"Identity theory of mind, a philosophical term"
"Pure identity theory, in logic"
"Social identity theory, in the social sciences"
"Cultural identity theory, in the social sciences"
"Identity Theory (webzine), a literary website" Note: The paragraph does not provide specific quotes that directly answer each question. The answers provided in quotes are brief explanations of the terms mentioned in the questions.