The Churchlands and Their Critics PDF
Preview The Churchlands and Their Critics
THE ш The influence of Patricia Churchland and Paul Churchland on contemporary philosophy and cognitive science is profound and controversial. That influence is not a function of mere philosophical fashion but, rather, of their work’s ground breaking significance. By challenging so many prevailing doctrines concerning the CHURCHLANDS nature of mind, knowledge, science, and language, the Churchlands occupy a uniquely controversial position at the center of current debate. In this collection leading figures from philosophy, cognitive psychology, and the AND THEIR CRITICS neurosciences examine, explain, and explore the Churchlands’ work. This is then followed by extensive and detailed responses to each of the articles from the Churchlands. The Churchlands and their Critics is essential to anyone with an interest in contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive science. Paul Churchland is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Caliform San Diego. He is the author of Scientific Realism and the Plasticity of Mind (1979), Matter and Consciousness (1988), A Neurocomputational Perspectii (1989), and The Engine of Reason, the Seat of the Soul (1995). Patricia Churchland is Professor of Philosophy at the University if California, San Diego, and Adjunct Professor of the Salk Institute. She is tl author of Neurophilosophy (1986) and (with T. J. Sejnowski) The Computational Brain (1992). Robert N. McCauley is Massee-Martin/NEH Professor of Philosophy and Adjunct Professor of Psychology and Anthropology at Emory University. He has published numerous articles and reviews in epistemology and the philosophies of science, social science, and psychology. He is the author (with Е. T homas Lawson) of Rethinking Religion (1990). Cover picture: Paul and Patricia Churchland photographed by Becky Cohen Printed in Great Britain ______ Edited by_____ . M C 978063118969590000 robert n c a u l e y The Churchlands and their Critics PHILOSOPHERS AND THEIR CRITICS General Editor: Ernest Lepore Philosophy is an interactive enterprise. Much of it is carried out in dialogue as theories and ideas are presented and subsequently refined in the crucible of close scrutiny. The purpose of this series is to reconstruct this vital interplay among thinkers. Each book consists of a contempor ary assessment of an important living philosopher’s work. A collection of essays written by an interdisciplinary group of critics addressing the substantial theses of the philosopher’s corpus opens each volume. In the last section, the philosopher responds to his or her critics, clarifies crucial points of the discussion, or updates his or her doctrines. 1 Dretske and his Critics Brian McLaughlin 2 John Searle and his Critics Ernest Lepore and Robert van Gulick 3 Meaning in Mind: Fodor and Barry Loewer and Georges Rey his Critics 4 Dennett and his Critics Bo Dahlbom 5 Danto and his Critics Mark Rollins 6 Perspectives on Quine Robert B. Barrett and Roger F. Gibson 7 The Churchlands and their Critics Robert N. McCauley The Churchlands and their Critics Edited by Robert N. McCauley Copyright © Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 1996 First published 1996 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 Blackwell Publishers Inc. 238 Main Street Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA Blackwell Publishers Ltd 108 Cowley Road Oxford 0X4 1JF UK All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for. ISBN 0-631-18968-8; ISBN 0-631-18969-6 (pbk.) British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Typeset in 10 on 12pt Times by Wearset, Boldon, Tyne and Wear Printed in Great Britain by TJ Press, Padstow, Cornwall This book is printed on acid-free paper. This book is dedicated to my parents, Leland M. McCauley and Muriel McCauley. Contents List of Figures X Notes on Contributors xii Acknowledgments xiv Introduction 1 ROBERT N. McCAULEY Part I Essays Addressed to the Churchlands 15 1 Explanatory Pluralism and the Co-evolution of 17 Theories in Science ROBERT N. McCAULEY 2 From Neurophilosophy to Neurocomputation: 48 Searching for the Cognitive Forest PATRICIA KITCHER 3 Dealing in Futures: Folk Psychology and the Role 86 of Representations in Cognitive Science ANDY CLARK 4 Paul Churchland’s PDP Approach to Explanation 104 WILLIAM G. LYCAN 5 What Should a Connectionist Philosophy of Science 121 Look Like? WILLIAM BECHTEL 6 Paul Churchland and State Space Semantics 145 JERRY FODOR and ERNIE LEPORE Reply to Churchland 159 JERRY FODOR and ERNIE LEPORE Vlll CONTENTS 7 Images and Subjectivity: Neurobiological Trials and 163 Tribulations ANTONIO R. DAMASIO AND HANNA DAMASIO "8 The Furniture of Mind: A Yard of Hope, a Ton of 176 Terror? JOHN MARSHALL and JENNIFER GURD 9 The Moral Network 192 OWEN FLANAGAN Part II Replies from the Churchlands 217 A The Future of Psychology, Folk and Scientific 219 10 McCauley’s Demand for a Co-level Competitor 222 11 Connectionism as Psychology 232 12 Kitcher’s Empirical Challenge: Has There Been 239 Progress in Neurophilosophy? 13 Clark’s Connectionist Defense of Folk Psychology 250 B The Impact of Neural Network Models on the 256 Philosophy of Science 14 On the Nature of Explanation: William Lycan 257 15 Bechtel on the Proper Form of a Connectionist 265 Philosophy of Science C Semantics in a New Vein 271 16 Fodor and Lepore: State-Space Semantics and 272 Meaning Holism 17 Second Reply to Fodor and Lepore 278 D Consciousness and Methodology 284 18 Neuropsychology and Brain Organization: The 285 Damasios 19 Conceptual Analysis and Neuropsychology: John 290 Marshall and Jennifer Gurd 20 Do We Propose to Eliminate Consciousness? 297
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