| Greedy Reductionism |
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| logical fallacies | |
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| reductionism | |
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For example, we can reduce temperature to average Kinetic Energy without denying that Temperature exists, so this is good reductionism. In contrast, when we consider the question of why clicking on a Hyperlink takes us to one website and not another, any answer that says that it all comes down to Electron s and that hyperlinks don't really exist anyhow is a greedy attempt to explain away the problem without solving it. '' and other works, he wrote that while mental and neurological states did exist, behavior could be explained without recourse to either. This example is particularly relevant because Dennett himself can be categorized as a type of behaviorist. In '' Consciousness Explained '', Dennett argued that, without denying that human Consciousness exists, we can understand it as coming about from the coordinated activity of many components in the brain that are themselves Unconscious . In response, critics accused him of explaining away consciousness because he disputes the existence of certain conceptions of consciousness that he considers overblown and incompatible with what is physically possible. This is likely what motivated Dennett to make the greedy/good distinction in his follow-up book, to freely admit that reductionism can go overboard while pointing out that not all reductionism goes this far. The opposite extreme from greedy reductionism is throwing up your hands and denying that a reductionistic analysis of a complex system can work at all. This tactic is found in some theories that say consciousness is an Emergent Epiphenomenon that cannot be further reduced. Dennett's response is to call such notions Mysterian . REFERENCES
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