behavior ↔ mental states

Relations (1)

related 2.00 — strongly supporting 3 facts

Mental states and behavior are linked through the argument from analogy, which posits a correlation between the two in oneself to infer the existence of others' minds [1]. Furthermore, the relationship is central to debates in epiphenomenalism regarding whether mental states can causally explain behavior [2], and to epistemological questions concerning whether observed behavior serves as sufficient evidence for the existence of mental states in others [3].

Facts (3)

Sources

Dualism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy/Winter 2016 Edition) plato.stanford.edu Howard Robinson · Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2 facts

claimIf epiphenomenalism is true, mental states do not explain behavior, making it explanatorily redundant to postulate mental states for others when a physical explanation for their behavior exists.

claimThe argument from analogy for the existence of other minds posits that because an individual knows their own mental states are correlated with their own behavior, they can infer that similar behavior in others is accompanied by similar mental states.

Naturalized Epistemology - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy plato.stanford.edu Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 1 fact

claimTraditional epistemologists often assume that evidence for beliefs about the mental states of others consists primarily of observations of their behavior, then question whether that evidence is sufficient to justify those beliefs.