Emergence and Mind
Philip Clayton
Mind and Emergence October 28, 2004 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780199272525.003.0004 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that evolutionary history is indispensable for understanding the mind-brain relationship, countering the view that dualists or physicalists can ignore it. |
Abstract
Abstract It is not possible to engage in reflection on the relationship of mind and brain without considering the evolutionary history that produced brains in the first place. Or rather, it is certainly possible, since many have written treatises in the philosophy of mind without considering evolution. A dualist might well conclude that she is not required to consider evolution since, however the brain got here, thought is something qualitatively different from it, being only contingently dependent (at most) on brain states. Strictly speaking, a physicalist philosopher might also think that he can dispense with evolutionary history, since the details of the brain as a biological system are of only contingent interest; what matters finally is to complete the structure of understanding upwards from its foundational microphysical laws and processes.