eliminativism
The view that, because mental states and properties are items posited
by a protoscientific theory (called folk
psychology), the science of the future is likely to conclude that
entities such as beliefs, desires, and sensations do not exist. The alternate
most often offered is physicalist and the
position is thus often called 'eliminative materialism'.
<Discussion> <References>
Teed Rockwell
emergence
Properties of a complex physical system are emergent just in case they
are neither (i) properties had by any parts of the system taken in isolation
nor (ii) resultant of a mere summation of properties of parts of the system.
<Discussion> <References>
Pete Mandik
empiricism
In its strong form, the thesis that there is no knowable reality behind appearances.
Thus, it is the job of science to catalog the formal relations which hold
between appearances without claims of describing reality. See phenomenalism
<Discussion> <References>
Chris Eliasmith
epiphenomenalism
The doctrine that mental phenomena are not causal despite the fact they
may seem to be.
<Discussion> <References> Chris
Eliasmith
epistemology
A major branch of philosophy that concerns the forms, nature, and preconditions
of knowledge.
<Discussion> <References>
Pete Mandik
equivalence thesis
The equivalence thesis states that for any proposed notion of truth,
each instance of the schema "S is true if and only if P" resulting
from the substitution of a translation of the sentence designated by S
for P, is true. This thesis is often taken to be a minimal requirement
on any notion of truth.
<Discussion>
<References> Whit
Schonbein
Evans, Gareth
Philosopher of language and mind, best known for introducing, in his
posthumously published The Varieties of Reference, the Generality
Constraint, as well as the notion of nonconceptual
content as parts of an account of singular referring demonstrative
thought.
<Discussion> <References> Rick
Grush & Pete Mandik
experimental philosophy
explanation
A structure, act, or process that provides understanding.
<Discussion> <
References> Paul
Thagard
explicit memory
Those memories which a subject is able to cite as being a memory of a
particular event. See also implicit memory,
memory.
<Discussion> <References>
Chris Eliasmith
externalism
Externalists hold that there are mental events that do not supervene
merely on physical events internal to the agent's body, but supervene
on environmental events as well. Also known as anti-individualism.
<Discussion> <References>
Pete Mandik
