Reduction, explanatory extension, and the mind/brain sciences

Philosophy of Science 59 (3):408-28 (1992)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

In trying to characterize the relationship between psychology and neuroscience, the trend has been to argue that reductionism does not work without suggesting a suitable substitute. I offer explanatory extension as a good model for elucidating the complex relationship among disciplines which are obviously connected but which do not share pragmatic explanatory features. Explanatory extension rests on the idea that one field can "illuminate" issues that were incompletely treated in another. In this paper, I explain how this "illumination" would work between psychology and neuroscience

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 91,349

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Methodological problems of neuroscience.Nicholas Maxwell - 1985 - In David Rose & Vernon Dobson (eds.), Models of the Visual Cortex. New York: Wiley.
Is the brain a memory box?Anne Jaap Jacobson - 2005 - Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 4 (3):271-278.
The mind reduced to molecules?Verena Gottschling - 2005 - Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 4 (3):279-283.
The nontrivial doctrine of cognitive neuroscience.Valerie Gray Hardcastle - 1999 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 22 (5):839-839.
Mechanism schemas and the relationship between biological theories.Tudor M. Baetu - 2011 - In Phyllis McKay Illari Federica Russo (ed.), Causality in the Sciences. Oxford University Press.

Analytics

Added to PP
2009-01-28

Downloads
130 (#137,233)

6 months
17 (#141,290)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Valerie G. Hardcastle
University of Cincinnati

Citations of this work

Molecular genetics.Ken Waters - 2008 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Construction by reduction.Jeffry L. Ramsey - 1995 - Philosophy of Science 62 (1):1-20.
Levels of explanation in biological psychology.Huib L. de Jong - 2002 - Philosophical Psychology 15 (4):441-462.

View all 10 citations / Add more citations