Physicalism

Definition

Physicalism is the metaphysical view that everything that exists is fundamentally physical, that is, it is composed of or determined by physical properties and physical laws. It is a key concept in the context of 1.4 An Overview of Contemporary Philosophy, as it represents one of the dominant philosophical positions in the modern era.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Physicalism holds that all facts and events can be explained in terms of physical facts and physical laws, including mental and biological phenomena.
2. Physicalists argue that the mind is not a separate substance from the physical brain, but rather a property or function of the brain.
3. Physicalism is often associated with the scientific worldview, as it seeks to provide a unified, scientific explanation of the universe.
4. Physicalism challenges traditional dualist views that posit a separation between the physical and the mental or spiritual realms.
5. Physicalists believe that advances in neuroscience and cognitive science will eventually provide a complete physical account of mental processes and consciousness.

Review Questions

• Explain how physicalism differs from dualism in its understanding of the relationship between the mind and the physical world.
  • Physicalism rejects the dualist view that the mind and the physical world are separate and independent substances. Instead, physicalists argue that the mind is not a separate entity but rather a property or function of the physical brain. They believe that all mental phenomena, including consciousness and cognition, can be explained in terms of physical processes and laws. This contrasts with dualism, which posits a fundamental distinction between the mental and the physical realms.
• Describe how the scientific worldview is related to the philosophical position of physicalism.
  • Physicalism is closely aligned with the scientific worldview, as it seeks to provide a unified, scientific explanation of the universe. Physicalists believe that all phenomena, including mental and biological processes, can be reduced to and explained in terms of physical facts and physical laws. This aligns with the scientific emphasis on empirical observation, experimentation, and the search for causal explanations. Physicalists argue that advances in fields like neuroscience and cognitive science will eventually lead to a complete physical account of mental processes and consciousness, further reinforcing the scientific basis of their philosophical position.
• Analyze how the philosophical position of physicalism challenges traditional views of the mind and its relationship to the physical world.
  • Physicalism fundamentally challenges traditional dualist views that posit a separation between the physical and the mental or spiritual realms. By rejecting the idea of the mind as a separate substance from the physical brain, physicalists argue that all mental phenomena, including consciousness and cognition, can be explained in terms of physical processes and laws. This represents a significant departure from the Cartesian mind-body dualism that has long dominated Western philosophy. Physicalists believe that the mind is not a distinct entity but rather a property or function of the physical brain, and that advances in neuroscience and cognitive science will eventually provide a complete physical account of mental life. This philosophical position has profound implications for our understanding of the nature of the self, free will, and the relationship between the mind and the physical world.

Related terms

Materialism: The view that the only thing that exists is matter and its movements and modifications, and that all phenomena, including mental, are explainable by material causes.

Reductionism: The belief that complex phenomena can be explained by reducing them to their fundamental, more basic components.

Dualism: The view that reality consists of two fundamentally different and irreducible substances or properties, such as mind and matter.