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The (Multiple) Realization of Psychological and other Properties in the Sciences
Author(s) -
AIZAWA KENNETH,
GILLETT CARL
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
mind and language
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.905
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1468-0017
pISSN - 0268-1064
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0017.2008.01359.x
Subject(s) - realization (probability) , epistemology , confusion , philosophy of science , focus (optics) , cognitive science , self realization , key (lock) , philosophy of psychology , mechanism (biology) , psychology , sociology , computer science , philosophy , mathematics , psychoanalysis , statistics , physics , computer security , optics
There has recently been controversy over the existence of ‘multiple realization’ in addition to some confusion between different conceptions of its nature. To resolve these problems, we focus on concrete examples from the sciences to provide precise accounts of the scientific concepts of ‘realization’ and ‘multiple realization’ that have played key roles in recent debates in the philosophy of science and philosophy of psychology. We illustrate the advantages of our view over a prominent rival account (Shapiro, 2000 and 2004) and use our work to rebut recent objections to the long‐standing claim that psychological properties are multiply realized. For we use scientific evidence, in combination with our more precise theoretical framework, to show that we have strong reason to believe that psychological properties are indeed multiply realized both at the biochemical and neuronal levels.