Mind & Cognitive Science
Defining Physicalism
By , University of Rochester (July 2008)
Section: Mind & Cognitive Science
Subjects: Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics, Mind and Cognitive Science.
Key Topic: physicalism.
Abstract
This article discusses recent disagreements over the correct formulation of physicalism. Although there appears to be a consensus outside those who discuss the issue that physicalists believe that what exists is what is countenanced by physics, as we will see, this orthodoxy faces an important puzzle now frequently referred to as ‘Hempel's Dilemma’. After surveying the historical trajectory from Enlightenment-era materialism to contemporary physicalism, I examine several mainstream approaches that respond to Hempel's dilemma, and the benefits and drawbacks of each.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-9991.2008.00163.x
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