Mentalism (philosophy)

As mentalism (English mentalism ) philosophical approaches in the philosophy of mind and the theory of meaning have been identified since the mid-20th century. In the philosophy of mind, but also in parts of the Anglo-Saxon psychiatry and psychology is thus a basic position meant that assumes that consciousness and mental processes are states of a person taking the causal roles and in this role by other materialistic properties (such as neurologically recordable processes) can be replaced. By behavior is explained by externally inaccessible mental states, this direction is bordered on the behaviorism. In the theory of meaning so that positions are referred to, the meaning of linguistic expressions selected as representations in the minds of language users, and not to the designated objects themselves. John Locke can be understood as a precursor to this position.

Obsolete importance

Henry Sidgwick took the name for his opinion, all reality is spiritual matter and a form of consciousness, such as thinking, willing and feeling.

Development in linguistics

Clearly defined the term in modern linguistics. Leonard Bloomfield about Paul Grice Herbert threw in front of whose interpretations of mental processes did not explain the language because his approach is not scientifically accessible and is only identify through introspection. In the tend mentalist and influential approach of Grice the Convention as the code played a minor role. Also, the late Ludwig Wittgenstein believes had opposed, the importance of the language is to be determined by introspection.

For Noam Chomsky - if linguistics is to be a serious direction because - a theory of language to be mentalistic, since she was busy trying to discover mental realities inherent in the behavior based.

Philosophy of mind

With problems of mentalism have, inter alia, Donald Davidson and Jerry Fodor is concerned. Here Fodor has shown that mentalism is not tied to a Substanzdualimus as a metaphysical basis, but is also compatible with functionalism.