Functionalism: Maurice Rowland And Miguel Alvarez

Theories have been composed and exposed by various philosophers to explain their understanding about the mind. Dualism, Behaviorism and Identity Theory are well-known theories supported by well-written explanations. A modern theory, Functionalism has been proposed that provides great insight to the main problem philosophers deal with, the mind/body problem.

Imagine walking past a garden with an assortment of flowers. Now close your eyes and take in each distinguishing familiar smell. As you take a whiff you smell the differences between the roses, lilies, and even tulips. We can tell the sound of a drum from that of a gong; the touch of cool, smooth marble as we run our fingers over it distinctively feeling the difference from that of sandpaper. Our everyday lives are continuous experiences of sensations. These sensations have characteristic qualitative features, which are called “phenomenal”, “phenomenological” or “sensory” qualities. In philosophical terms these sensations can be referred to as qualia, which are defined as properties of experiences that type them in phenomenological respects .

In this paper, I will argue that functionalism, specifically empirical functionalism, can explain mental states, and is thus true. Functionalism is a philosophical theory which states that inputs, outputs, and other mental states defines a mental state (109). An empirical functionalist defines mental states in terms of their casual relations as determined by psychological theories (119). Empirical functionalists prefer cognitive science theories (119).

The two theoretical approaches I have chosen to compare to the study of crime are Functionalism and Marxism. I have done so, as I believe both theories are important/ significant to the study of crime and differentiate from each other. I will do this by writing a critique the advantages and disadvantages of both of the theories and thus, resulting in my own personal opinion in the conclusion.

Sociology, in general, is the study of human social relationships and institutions. It came to existence in the nineteenth century, much later than other social sciences. It was influenced by Enlightenment period. Auguste Comte, French philosopher, used the term sociology to study society in a different approach. Comte believed that society can be studied systematically like any other sciences. Its main focus is to study social structures by analyzing, evaluating, and critiquing the social aspects of society (Dillon 2014:12-13; 17). The way society behaves affect the individuals in it. Based on scholars, society is not just about the collection and groups of individuals; it includes social relationships, social patterns, and social organizations (Dillon 2014:81). These are social aspects that impact the way individuals think and feel.

Functionalism is a theory about the character of mental states. According with functionalism, mental states are diagnosed with the aid of what they do instead of through what they're product of. This could be understood by considering artefacts like mousetraps and keys. Specially, the original motivation for functionalism comes from the useful evaluation of minds with computer systems. However that is only an analogy. The primary arguments for functionalism rely on showing that its miles advanced to its number one competitors: identification concept and behaviourism. Contrasted with behaviourism, functionalism retains the conventional idea that intellectual states are internal states of questioning creatures, contrasted with identity principle;

The Symbolic Interactionist Theory is a sociological theory with a micro sociological view. This is an action theory. It examines a way to explain behaviour within society by looking at small scale interactions i.e. between two people or smaller groups and explaining the aspects of wider society from these. Symbolic interactionists believe that we live in a world where symbols have shared meanings and we use these meanings when interacting with people. For example, our language is made up of symbols and we all share an understanding of this, so if we were to read the word “nurse” we would all share and understanding of what this word means without even having to have a description or picture shown to us. So, with most symbols there is always

Functionalism is a theory that describes the nature of mental states. In this theory, mental states are identified by what they do rather than their physical makeup. Functionalism comes from when philosophers compared minds with computers. The two main theories compared with functionalism is behaviorism and identity theory. Functionalism is based on the idea that mental states are internal states of thinking. Arguments against functionalism are typically that too many things are classified as having mental states, or more than is accepted. The arguments for and against functionalism can be successful depending on the strength of the theory, and which aspect is looked into.

Functionalism was the prevailing branch of western Human science until the 1960s since when it has been progressively reprimanded by sociologists favoring distinctive sociological points of view. Functionalists contend that social orders comprise of between related social foundations, for example, schools, broad communications, political frameworks, the Congregation and the family each of which contribute emphatically to the support of soundness of society in general. That is: these establishments are said to be useful for social orders all in all. Extensively talking it is accepted by functionalists that social orders work in light of a legitimate concern for the greater part of their individuals with the goal that there is no purpose behind key clash in the public eye. Rather there is a high level of accord that social orders are composed proficiently and moderately decently.

Culture: The level of tolerance for being around someone speaking a foreign (not understanding) language, politeness measured in terms of gallantry or etiquette, and manner of expected dress are all examples of possible cultural differences and traditions., (Finn and Jacobson, 186)

Functionalism has been focused on different parts of the societies ‘functioning’ to keep up social order and foundation. Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons and Robert Merton were the three main theorists of functionalism, where they studied to understand how different parts of society could connect and work towards promoting social steadiness and harmony. Parsons viewed health as an important part of foundation and building a better society where illness has stopped people from carrying out different tasks. On the other hand, Weberianism focused on acknowledging people surviving with social inequality and social conflicts. Max Weber and Marx were the most powerful theorists in sociology and their main concern was bureaucracy and social inequality.

Functionalism is the theory that what makes something a mental state depends on its function or role in the cognitive system, instead of its internal constitution. To put it another way, functionalism holds that mental states correspond to functional states. Functionalism is the offspring of both identity theory and behaviorism, and comes in a few different flavors. For example, there is machine functionalism, psycho-functionalism, analytic functionalism, role-functionalism and realizer-functionalism. Furthermore, while some forms of functionalism identify mental states with functional states, other forms associate mental states with the physical states that play those particular functional roles. Developed in the 1960s, the three founders of functionalism include Hilary Putnam (machine functionalist), David Armstrong (analytic functionalist), and David Lewis (analytic functionalist).

There is something to agree with in each one of the three sociological perspectives. There is accuracy in conflict theory perspective in that those in power determine social order and structure. Symbolic interactionism concentrates on social interactions. Since society consists of different social structures, social interaction having an effect on society certainly makes sense. Functionalist theory takes a large-scaled or macro view of social structures or institutions. Within the institutions, there is a functional structure, customs, and accepted norms or behaviors within any group of that institutional society. This paper will comprehensively describe the theory of conflict perspective based on the beliefs of sociologist Karl Marx, discussing and supporting the reasons for why portions of this theory aligns with personal views of sociology.

In the history of anthropology and sociology, there have been many different social theories. Often these theories are influential for a period of time and then lose popularity once a new, more seductive theory is established. Marxism and functionalism are two examples of social theories that made a grand impact on the anthropological and sociological fields, but have since faded from the forefront. Marxism was established by Karl Marx in the mid-1800s and was later adopted by other theorists, such as Marvin Harris. Marxism was built upon the idea that there has been an ongoing class struggle in human history and it is this conflict between classes that will lead to social change and eventually to the birth of Communism. Functionalism

Sociology uses three different perspectives, or theories, when looking at human issues. These three theories are known as functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction. Functionalism is considered a macro theory and has two different models. The focus will be on Merton’s model of functionalism, which has three parts to it. Conflict theory is also, a macro theory that views society as a place of inequality between two groups. It looks at five inequalities, which are economic, gender, racial, age, and sexual orientation inequalities. The last theory is symbolic interaction and it is the only micro theory. It is a way to analyze how people’s behavior define themselves and the people they interact with. Abortion is the issue that