an Examination of Functionalism as Represented by Fodor and Searle

Fodor begins his article on the mind-body problem with a review of the current theories of dualism and materialism. According to dualism, the mind and body are two separate entities with the body being physical and the mind being nonphysical. If this is the case, though, then there can be no interaction between the two. The mind could not influence anything physical without violating the laws of physics. The materialist theory, on the other hand, states that the mind is not distinct from the physical. In fact, supporters of the materialist theory believe that behavior does not have mental causes. When the materialist theory is split into logical behaviorism and the central-state identity theory, the foundation of functionalism begins to form. Logical behaviorism states that every mental feeling has the same meaning as an if-then statement. For example, instead of saying "Dr. Lux is hungry," one would say "If there was a quart of macadamia brittle nut in the freezer, Dr. Lux would eat it." The central-state identity theory states that a certain mental state equals a certain neurophysiological state. The theory wo

When we developed the theory of functionalism, we asked the question, "Could a machine think?" In the sense that a machine is just a physical system capable of performing operations, the answer is, "Yes." This answer is not satisfactory, though, because we generally do not define thinking as simply being able to perform an operation. When we ask the question, "Is implementing a computer program with the right input and output enough to constitute thinking," the answer is clearly "No." Thinking refers to an understanding rather than something defined syntactically. No matter how fast or correct the program is, it still defines its operations by syntax rather than by consciousness and emotion. Thus, the computer is unable to duplicate a mind although it may simulate it. The idea of simulation is key here. We are able to simulate everything on a computer from the hypothetical path of a hurricane to the probable course of the stock market. We do not, however, believe the simulations to be real. In other words, we do evacuate a town or invest our life's savings based on a simulation. It may be a good approximation of the course of events, but it is not the actual course of events. If this is the case, then, why do we even consider whether the simulation of mental processes resulting from a computer program are real mental processes?

rks in a way similar to Berkeley's representation of objects. Both mental states and objects are a certain collection of perceptions that together identify the particular state or object.

Searle disagrees with the view that the physical composition of the system does not influence the mental state of the system. To support this, he develops the Chinese room argument. Suppose a computer program is written that simulates an understanding of Chinese. Thus, when the computer is presented with a question in Chinese, it searches its memory and answers appropriately in Chinese. If the program is written well enough, the answers may be indistinguishable from a native speaker's answers. According to functio

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