Eliminative Materialism Quiz

Which of these arguments does NOT support Eliminative Materialism?

• Our intuitive certainty about the existence of our mental states

• The failure of folk psychology in explaining key aspects of the mind

• The advance of neuroscience

• Solving the problem of other minds

Which of the following can be used to criticise Eliminativism?

• The idea that the theory is self refuting

• Multiple Realisability

• Other Minds

• Interaction

Which of the following thinkers supports Eliminative Materialism?

• Patricia Churchland

• Gilbert Ryle

• Dan Dennett

• J T C Smart

Which of these theories struggles with the issue of Multiple Realisability?

• Identity Theory

• Eliminative Materialism

• Both

• Neither

What is Churchland's view of qualia/consciousness?

• It is a nomological dangler but science will eventually explain it

• It is an insolvable problem and we ought to support dualism

• It is an issue but nothing that we should concern ourselves about

• It will eventually be eliminated as a false hypothesis

How do eliminativists understand mental states?

• They are the same as brain states, just a different way of speaking about them

• They are useful to the discipline of psychology but not to philosophers or scientists

• They are a false hypothesis that need to be eliminated

• They are ultimately mysterious and there is little point studying them

According to Patricia Churchland, what is the best scientific method to deploy in this topic?

• Ockham's Razor - simpler to have one thing not two

• IBE - easier to eliminate a hypothesis that no longer offers a good explanation

• Falsification - non physical views of the mind cannot be disproved

• Interdisciplinary approach - allow scientists, philosophers and psychologists to research the topic in their own way

Which of these reasons is NOT given by Paul Churchland as a reason to reject folk psychology?

• The discipline is static and little progress has been made over 2000 years

• It does not answer the big questions such as mental illness, intelligence etc

• There is widespread disagreement amongst psychologists

• It does not fit coherently with the insights of other sciences

According to Paul Churchland, what features of folk psychology make it a scientific theory?

• It makes empirical predictions about behaviour and suggests laws

• It is always accurate when tested

• It enables us to know how people will act in different situations

• It fits with the insights of neuroscience

How does Eliminativism differ from Identity Theory?

• Eliminativism seeks to reduce the mind to the brain

• Identity Theory aims to eliminate the mind as a false hypothesis

• Eliminativism aims to eliminate the mind as a false hypothesis

• Identity theory draws on the insights of neuroscience to prove that the mind is the brain