In The Philosophy Of Mind, One Of The Most Prominent...

In the philosophy of mind, one of the most prominent philosophical theories is Monism. Monism, by itself, is the theory that reality consists of only one kind of substance. Likewise, Anomalous Monism theorized and developed by Donald Davidson in his work, Mental Events, proposes that reality consists of one kind of substance, namely, physical substance. That is, according to Davidson, all mental events are a part of the physical realm. Furthermore, Anomalous Monism, also known as the token-identity theory, is Davidson’s attempt to rectify the problem of the mind-body relationship – which questions how the human mind and the body can causally interact. However, it appears that Davidson’s Anomalous Monism states a contradiction. As such, in†¦show more content†¦However, the acceptance of the principle of anomalism of the mental would have us deny that there is such a causal law. On the other hand, if one accepts the truth of the principle of the nomologica l character of causality and the principle of anomalism of the mental, it would imply that mental and physical events do not causally interact. But how can this be the case if we were to accept the truth of the principle of causal interaction? Lastly, the third contradiction arises from accepting the truth in the principle of causal interaction and the principle of anomalism of the mental. By accepting these two principles/statements, it would imply that there are no causal laws that dictate such causal relationships. Acknowledging these contradictions, Davidson proposes a solution to reconcile these contradictory principles/statements. The solution is to have mental events be described as physical events. In other words, Davidson argues that mental events which causes physical events are subject to a causal law only when the mental event is described under a physical description. If, however, the mental event is described as a mental event then the principle of anomalism of the mental would dictate that there is no causal law. But, as David argues, the solution is to not describe it as a mental event but to describe it as aShow MoreRelatedAnalytic Functionalism As A Philosophy Of The Mind1247 Words   |  5 PagesFunctionalism as a Philosophy of the Mind In an attempt to bridge the gaps between the philosophy of behaviorism and the identity theory, I have determined that functionalism presents us with the best solution. Although there are several concerns to the methodic explanation of mental states, I believe that analytic functionalism is a credible model that describes the mind. Analytic functionalism establishes an ontological method that provides more acceptable ways to describe and characterize the mind. 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