Realization, Multiple Realization, and Levels
This entry was posted on 4/27/2007 6:12 AM and is filed under Neuroscience,Metaphysics.
Here is an idea that Carl Gillett and I broach in some works
in progress and which we presented (among other things) at the Southern Society
for Philosophy and Psychology (and provoked by Richard’s exobiology post). In all explicitness, claims about realization
and multiple realization should be indexed to levels. So, say, a psychological property might be
realized at the level of neurons and at the level of molecules/macromolecules. This means that, in principle, that
psychological property might be univocally realized at the neuronal level and
multiply realized at the molecular/macromolecular level.
This analysis has the nice feature of making sense of
certain moves in the debates about MR. It
explains why so many folks are unimpressed by the conclusion that psychological
properties are MR by biochemicals. They
don’t care about *that* level. They want
to hold out hope that psychological properties are UR at some other level. This makes Carl and me look rational in
claiming that psychological properties are MR at the biochemical and neuronal
level, while it makes, e.g. John Bickle and Richard, look rational for holding
out for other levels at which psychological properties might nonetheless be UR. John has moved to looking for properties such
as the tertiary structure of proteins as a level for unique realization;
Richard has been looking to the notion of brain states.
