From: "truc jones" <truc_jones-AT-hotmail.com>
To: feyerabend-driftline.org-AT-lists.driftline.org
Date: Mon, 03 Oct 2005 03:39:16 +0000
Subject: [PKF] RE:Theo & Giorgio 


For me eliminative materialism refers to two of PKF's 1963 papers that 
intimated that philosophical inquiry about the mind without referring to the 
brain was of questionable value.  Later philosopher Patricia Churchland (MIT 
Press, 1986) made a similar statement about psychological inquiry about mind 
without referring to the brain being of questionable value.  From my 
preferred perspective of physiology and/or materialism these perspectives 
were self evident.  PKF didn't develop the position further.  I think he 
sensed he was ahead of his time and much of his later critical analysis of 
science was spurred by the neglect or even dismissal of these self evident 
ideas at that time.  I sensed his early value of relativism when he wrote 
about coming to Berkley when the university allowed minorities to be 
admitted.  He questioned asking them to give up their culture for his.  I am 
appreciative of the Churchlands for strongly asserting and defending 
eliminative materialism.  In distancing themselves from relativism I think 
they will be unable to develop it fully.

Sorry about the typo Theo.  Joshua Greene's web page is 
www.csbmb.princeton.edu/~jdgreene/ .
I left out a b.

Another positive development I am following is the recognition that 
cooperation is a valid strategy in game theory beyond just between closely 
related individuals.  I don't see any sign yet that they will recognize that 
cooperation (ie. language) is so valuable that it is unnecessary to "punish" 
all "cheaters".







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>Subject: Feyerabend-driftline.org Digest, Vol 6, Issue 5
>Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 12:03:26 -0700 (PDT)
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>Today's Topics:
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>    1. Re: Relativism (Greg Matheson)
>    2. Re: Relativism (Giorgio Menon)
>
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>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Message: 1
>Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 09:07:33 +0800
>From: Greg Matheson <lang-AT-ms.chinmin.edu.tw>
>Subject: Re: [PKF] Relativism
>To: feyerabend-driftline.org-AT-lists.driftline.org
>Message-ID: <20050930010733.GA26798-AT-ms.chinmin.edu.tw>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
>On Thu, 29 Sep 2005, Theo Malekin wrote:
>
> > What is eliminative materialism?  The term is new to me.
>
>
>A google search:
>
>    [14]Eliminative Materialism
>    The view that some or all of the mental states posited by common-sense
>    do not
>    actually exist; from the Stanford Encyclopedia by William Ramsey.
>    plato.stanford.edu/entries/materialism-eliminative/                  -
>    [15]Similar pages
>
>      [16]plato.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/encyclopedia/archinfo.c...
>      [17]Similar pages
>
>    [18]Dictionary of Philosophy of Mind - eliminativism
>    How   Identity   Theory  gave  rise  to  Eliminative  Materialism  ...
>    Eliminative materialism
>    appeared to dissolve the problems with establishing identities between
>    ...
>    www.artsci.wustl.edu/~philos/   MindDict/eliminativism.html  -  84k  -
>    [19]Cached - [20]Similar pages
>
>    [21]Eliminative materialism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
>    In  the  philosophy  of mind, eliminative materialism is the school of
>    thought ...
>    The  most common argument against eliminative materialism the argument
>    from ...
>    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliminativism    -    16k    -    [22]Cached   -
>    [23]Similar pages
>
>      [24]en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliminative_materialism
>      [25]Similar pages
>      [ [26]More results from en.wikipedia.org ]
>
>    [27]Eliminative Materialism: eliminativism
>    This  essay assesses Eliminative Materialism, a material monist theory
>    of mind,
>    and  answers  the  question 'Assess the view that consciousness can be
>    dispensed ...
>    www.arrod.co.uk/essays/eliminative-materialism.php - 19k - 27 Sep 2005
>    - [28]Cached - [29]Similar pages
>
>-
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>Message: 2
>Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2005 11:52:11 +0200
>From: Giorgio Menon <giorgio.menon-AT-pd.infn.it>
>Subject: Re: [PKF] Relativism
>To: feyerabend-driftline.org-AT-lists.driftline.org
>Message-ID: <433BB94B.5030103-AT-pd.infn.it>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>truc jones wrote:
>
> > Thanks Paul
> >
> > I read the interview.  Despite the slippery slope, boogey man warnings
> > I like the simplicity of relativism.  I am familiar with Paul
> > Churchland's distancing himself from PKF in "Worst Enemy of Science"
> > and I cherished the relativist leanings in PKF's writings.  I think it
> > would be possible for society to make great progress if relativism
> > were seriously explored.  I would greatly appreciate any help in
> > finding material in support of relativism especially in conjunction
> > with eliminative materialism or from a physiological or neuroscience
> > perspective.  Joshua Greene's Oct 2003 article (
> > www.csmb.princeton.edu/~jdgreene/ ) triggered my relativism scanner
> > but he calls it antimoral realism or moral subjectivism.  I wonder if
> > and/or why he is avoiding the term relativism.
> >
>Sorry, but the link to the abovementioned article doesn't work.
>Alternatives?
>
>Best regards
>
>Giorgio
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------
>
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