Physicalism, realization, and structure.
Studies in history and philosophy of science April 1, 2018 Gary Fuller
Physicalism about the mind—the view that mental states are nothing over and above physical states—has been a central topic in philosophy of mind since the 1960s. This paper aims to clarify key concepts in that debate: physicalism, identity, functionalism, realization, and constitution. After reviewing historical background, it focuses on two issues: the difference between a functional property (defined by its causal role) and a structural property (defined by its physical composition), and whether a realization account of the mental-physical relation offers a better physicalist theory than a constitutional account.