| Introduction to Philosophy | Notes | This is not a substitute for coming to class - or for reading the material. | Richard Lee |
| Philosophy 2003 | Copyright © 2006, Richard Lee | Autumn 2006 | |
Reductive materialism (identity theory) = the view that mental states are physical states of the brain (P 254a)
Just as:
Sound is "a train of compression waves traveling through the air" (P 254a)
Warmth is "high average molecular kinetic energy" (P 254b)
Lightning is "sudden large-scale discharge of electrons between clouds, or between the atmosphere and the ground" (P 254b)
So also:
A mental state is a brain state.