Narrow taxonomy and wide functionalism

Philosophy of Science 52 (March):78-97 (1985)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Three recent, influential critiques (Stich 1978; Fodor 1981c; Block 1980) have argued that various tasks on the agenda for computational psychology put conflicting pressures on its theoretical constructs. Unless something is done, the inevitable result will be confusion or outright incoherence. Stich, Fodor, and Block present different versions of this worry and each proposes a different remedy. Stich wants the central notion of belief to be jettisoned if it cannot be shown to be sound. Fodor tries to reduce confusion in computational psychology by dismissing some putative tasks as impossible. Block argues that the widespread faith in functionalism is just not warranted. I argue that all these critiques are misguided because they depend on holding cognitive psychology to taxonomic standards that other sciences routinely rise above

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,593

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

Analytics

Added to PP
2009-01-28

Downloads
156 (#112,893)

6 months
5 (#246,492)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Patricia Kitcher
Columbia University

Citations of this work

Computation without representation.Gualtiero Piccinini - 2008 - Philosophical Studies 137 (2):205-241.
Marr’s Computational Theory of Vision.Patricia Kitcher - 1988 - Philosophy of Science 55 (March):1-24.
Representation and content in some (actual) theories of perception.Gary Hatfield - 1988 - Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A 19 (2):175-214.
A farewell to functionalism.Lynne Rudder Baker - 1985 - Philosophical Studies 48 (July):1-14.
Two Neglected Classics of Comparative Ethics.G. Scott Davis - 2008 - Journal of Religious Ethics 36 (3):375-403.

View all 9 citations / Add more citations

References found in this work

Rules and representations.Noam Chomsky - 1980 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 3 (1):1-15.
Explanatory unification.Philip Kitcher - 1981 - Philosophy of Science 48 (4):507-531.
The Causal Theory of Names.Gareth Evans - 1973 - Aristotelian Society Supplementary Volume 47 (1):187–208.
Mental representation.Hartry Field - 1978 - Erkenntnis 13 (July):9-61.

View all 16 references / Add more references