The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences will continue its 2010–2011 Faculty Lecture Series with a talk by David McNaron, Ph.D., professor, titled “The Mind-Brain Identity Theory.” The presentation will take place on Thursday, Oct. 21, from noon to 1:00 p.m., in the Parker Building, room 240.
Philosophers have long asked the questions, “What is the nature of mental phenomena?” and “What is the place of mind in the natural world?” After the demise of logical behaviorism, philosophers sought a materialistic replacement theory and developed the Identity Theory. According to this theory, talk of the mental does not have the same meaning as talk of behavior. Rather, mental terms and physical terms have the same reference: mental states are identical to physical states of the brain and central nervous system.
Moreover, some identities represent empirical discoveries, to which the history of science attests. For example, it has been proven that the Morning Star is the Evening Star, lightning is electrical discharge, and water is H2O. Identity theorists distinguished two types of identity statements: statements such as (1) “A = A” and (2) “A = B.” Statements of type (1) are trivial truths knowable a priori, meaning independent of sense experience; however, statements of type (2) are informative statements knowable a posteriori, or by observation.
This refers to the “is” of strict identity: there is one thing referred to, not two. Identity theorists wished to show that ultimately there is only one kind of entity, state, event, and process: namely, material. But is it possible that mental states are identical to physical states of the brain and central nervous system?
How could this be so, since the two kinds of phenomena seem so different? Identity theorists found novel ways to defend materialism against objections leveled by philosophers since the time of Descartes. Yet the Identity Theory raises a number of problems of its own. This talk will present the debate over the truth of the Identity Theory in philosophy.
The annual Faculty Lecture Series draws from the knowledge and expertise of more than 120 full-time faculty members within the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. The series explores the faculty’s diverse areas of interest in the arts, humanities, social sciences, physical sciences, and biological sciences.
These talks are free and open to the public. For more information on the college’s Faculty Lecture Series, contact Jim Doan, Ph.D., professor in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, at (954) 262-8207 or visit www.fcas.nova.edu/articles/fls.