Exploring Eliminative Materialism in Science

What does eliminative materialism argue about our mental concepts?

• They are perfectly accurate and will be confirmed by neuroscience.

• They are fundamentally flawed and some may not refer to anything that exists.

• They are only slightly inaccurate and need minor adjustments.

• They are irrelevant to scientific inquiry.

Which philosophers are most closely associated with eliminative materialism?

• René Descartes and John Locke

• Patricia and Paul Churchland

• Immanuel Kant and Georg Hegel

• David Hume and Thomas Reid

What is the main difference between mind-brain type identity theory and eliminative materialism?

• Type identity theory denies the existence of mental properties.

• Eliminative materialism accepts mental properties as neurophysiological properties.

• Type identity theory accepts mental properties as neurophysiological properties, while eliminative materialism questions their existence.

• Eliminative materialism supports dualism.

What is Ockham’s razor used for in the context of reduction?

• To prove the existence of mental properties.

• To argue that simpler explanations are preferable.

• To eliminate the need for scientific theories.

• To support dualism.

What does Patricia Churchland argue is necessary beyond Ockham’s razor for scientific claims?

• A more complex metaphysical theory.

• A more powerful explanatory theory.

• A simpler philosophical argument.

• A rejection of all existing theories.

What is an example of a concept that was eliminated rather than reduced in scientific history?

• The concept of atoms.

• The concept of caloric fluid.

• The concept of DNA.

• The concept of gravity.

What did the theory of caloric fluid incorrectly suggest about heat?

• Heat is a form of energy.

• Heat is a kind of fluid that can be passed from one object to another.

• Heat is the motion of micro-particles.

• Heat is a chemical reaction.

What did Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, propose about heat?

• Heat is a chemical reaction.

• Heat is the motion of micro-particles.

• Heat is a type of fluid.

• Heat is a form of light.

What does the reduction of water to H2O demonstrate?

• The elimination of water as a concept.

• The identification of water with a more fundamental property.

• The irrelevance of molecular structure.

• The impossibility of scientific reduction.

How does the concept of genes illustrate the complexity of scientific reduction?

• Genes are simple and straightforward to understand.

• Genes are unrelated to DNA.

• Genes can involve many distinct segments of DNA and are not always a single stretch of DNA.

• Genes are not important in biology.