Livaditis Miltos, Tsatalmpasidou Evgenia
Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace, University Campus, Dragana, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece.
Cogn Process. 2007 Mar;8(1):1-9. doi: 10.1007/s10339-007-0161-3.
The aim of this paper is to construct a critical evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of the physicalistic theory concerning mental phenomena and consciousness. Physicalism can, better than other theories, explain mental phenomena, such as intentionality and reasonability of human beings and other biological organisms. Modern neuroscience corroborates the conviction that the brain is a physical mind capable of giving meaning to, evaluating and further cognitively and behaviorally transforming complex aspects of the world. On the other hand, the emergence of consciousness from brain states seems to be a paradoxical, intransparent, physical coincidence hardly explained by the mental function of the brain at the physical level. Moreover, the intentionality and reasonability of psychic phenomena per se cannot be explained as a repercussion of the same attributes characterizing the brain function. In conclusion, the old debate between physicalism and other philosophical theories remains open. It can be expected that the progress of sciences will inspire novel approaches to the problem of the relations between matter, mind and consciousness.
本文旨在对物理主义理论在心理现象和意识方面的优缺点进行批判性评估。物理主义比其他理论更能解释诸如人类和其他生物有机体的意向性和合理性等心理现象。现代神经科学证实了这样一种信念,即大脑是一个能够赋予世界复杂方面以意义、进行评估并进一步在认知和行为上对其进行转变的物理性心智。另一方面,意识从大脑状态中产生似乎是一个自相矛盾、晦涩难懂的物理巧合,很难从大脑在物理层面的心理功能角度加以解释。此外,心理现象本身的意向性和合理性不能被解释为大脑功能所具有的相同属性的一种反映。总之,物理主义与其他哲学理论之间由来已久的争论仍然没有定论。可以预期,科学的进步将激发人们对物质、心智和意识之间关系问题采用新的研究方法。