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psychophysical law
Also known as: psychophysical law
Facts (28)
Sources
Non-physicalist Theories of Consciousness cambridge.org Dec 20, 2023 13 facts
referenceCritics argue that non-epiphenomenalist theories, specifically interactionism and physicalism, face the same explanatory challenges as epiphenomenalism regarding why specific psychophysical laws or constitution relations exist (Robinson 2007; Corabi 2014).
claimThomas Nagel and Galen Strawson argue that if consciousness emerges from the physical, it must occur through causal production or a dualist psychophysical law, but they reject this possibility by invoking the interaction problem, which posits that such causal relations are unintelligible and impossible.
perspectiveMost philosophers find overdetermination dualism implausible because it is inexplicable why conscious states would systematically and without exception cause the exact same effects as the physical states they are correlated with, as there is no reason to expect psychophysical laws to mirror physical laws in this way.
claimEpiphenomenalism can explain fitting correlations between conscious states and physical behavior by positing one-way psychophysical laws where pain is a by-product of avoidance-causing physical states and pleasure is a by-product of attraction-causing physical states.
claimOverdetermination dualism posits that psychophysical laws operate in both directions: physical states produce conscious states, and conscious states produce physical effects such as behavior.
claimThe causal connection between the mental and the physical can be understood through fundamental psychophysical laws, forces, powers, or dispositions.
claimInteractionist dualism is ruled out by the broad version of the principle of physical causal closure because interactionist dualism claims that some physical events, such as human behavior, require explanation through fundamental psychophysical laws rather than physical laws.
perspectiveEpiphenomenalists argue that non-epiphenomenalist theories, such as physicalism and interactionism, face the same improbability issues as epiphenomenalism because they must posit specific two-way psychophysical laws or identity relations to explain correlations between physical and mental states.
claimEpiphenomenalist dualism posits that psychophysical laws operate in one direction only: physical causes produce mental effects, but mental causes do not produce physical effects.
claimInteractionism must posit specific two-way psychophysical laws where pain causes avoidance and pleasure causes pursuit to explain fitting correlations between conscious states and physical behavior.
claimInteractionist dualism posits that consciousness and the physical world mutually influence each other through two-way psychophysical laws, meaning physical effects of mental causes lack sufficient physical causes and are not overdetermined.
claimProperty dualists argue that it is metaphysically possible for phenomenal consciousness to inhere in a substance that does not have physical properties, while maintaining that this is nomologically impossible (incompatible with actual psychophysical laws).
claimDualists may posit the existence of psychophysical laws, which are laws connecting psychological states to physical states, similar to how physical laws like gravity or electromagnetism function.
Moving Forward on the Problem of Consciousness - David Chalmers consc.net 10 facts
claimDavid Chalmers asserts that determining the form of psychophysical laws is the most significant question regarding the hard problem of consciousness, as it is a question that can be engaged by researchers across all fields.
perspectiveTo assess a fundamental theory of consciousness, David Chalmers argues that researchers need a theory with specific details, including proposals about psychophysical laws and how those laws combine.
claimDavid Chalmers argues that the epiphenomenalist can account for the evidence of consciousness's causal role by pointing to psychophysical laws, rather than assuming a direct causal connection.
claimDavid Chalmers proposes three psychophysical laws regarding consciousness: the principle of structural coherence, the principle of organizational invariance, and the double-aspect view of information.
claimDavid Chalmers notes that if Henry Stapp's proposal were accepted, experimental physics could theoretically help determine psychophysical laws and identify which systems are conscious by testing for the presence or absence of physical collapse.
perspectiveDavid Chalmers rejects Warner's argument that psychophysical laws violate physical conservation laws, stating that it is coherent to suppose the physical universe could be supplemented by psychophysical laws that introduce consciousness without altering the physical domain.
claimWarner argues that psychophysical laws must interfere with physical laws because they entail violations of physical conservation laws.
claimDavid Chalmers suggests that one way to address nonconscious information is to identify further constraints on the type of information associated with experience, which might play a role in psychophysical laws.
claimDavid Chalmers explains that an epiphenomenalist can account for the evolution of consciousness by arguing that evolution selects for physical processes directly, and psychophysical laws ensure that consciousness evolves alongside those processes.
claimDavid Chalmers argues that psychophysical laws are universal, similar to other fundamental laws, and therefore do not require an evolutionary explanation for their existence.
Panpsychism - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 2 facts
perspectiveDavid Chalmers has written that if a theory of everything is discovered, it will consist of 'psychophysical laws' rather than just physical laws.
claimDavid Bohm and Paavo Pylkkänen attempted to develop a theory of panprotopsychism inspired by David Chalmers' ideas regarding psychophysical laws.
David Chalmers - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 1 fact
claimDavid Chalmers proposes the existence of "psychophysical laws," which are lawlike rules that determine which physical systems are associated with specific types of qualia.
Resolving the evolutionary paradox of consciousness link.springer.com Apr 1, 2024 1 fact
claimInteractionism posits the existence of undiscovered psychophysical laws that govern how physical arrangements produce consciousness and how conscious events influence physical events.
Quantum Theory of Consciousness - Scirp.org. scirp.org 1 fact
perspectiveDavid Chalmers asserts that solving the hard problem of consciousness requires the discovery of 'psychophysical laws' that govern the relationship between mind and matter.