Psychologists hold to position of biological reductionism

Reference no: EM13340601

Many biological psychologists hold to the position of biological reductionism (or determinism). They explain complex phenomenon in terms of simpler ones. They believe that complex phenomenon are entirely explainable by the properties of another. The complex phenomenon can be said to be reducible to more basic properties of the simpler ones. It is a mere epiphenomenon, a by product of the phenomenon that they are explainable by. They have no distinctive properties that require a distinctive theory or methodology.

For example, biological reductionism claims that the mind is entirely explained by physical properties of the brain. The mind is physical; what we call mental is really just another term for the brain; mental/mind is actually only an epiphenomenon of the brain. It can and should be studied only by physiologists—there is nothing distinctively psychological about the mind. If you have a headache, then we could explain your headache entirely by neural elements in the brain. There are no aspects of your headache that could not be understood by what is happening in the brain. We do not need any methods other than brain methods to explain your headache. The only people who could understand or treat your headache are brain scientists.

Give three arguments "in favor" of reductionism of this nature and three "against" reductionism.

Reference no: EM13340601

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