Identity theory

Goodbye to Reductionism

by Max Velmans

This paper is based on a plenary talk given at a conference on "Toward a Science of Consciousness: The Second Tucson Discussions and Debates" at the University of Arizona in 1996, which was followed by a public debate with the philosopher John Searle. Given the predominance of physicalist reductionism within consciousness studies at that time, the anti-reductionist approach taken in this talk and paper was quite radical. However the challenges posed to reductionism were very simple ones--which, in my view, have never been adequately addressed.

This paper argues that within consciousness studies, dualist vs. reductionist debates typically characterise... more This paper argues that within consciousness studies, dualist vs. reductionist debates typically characterise experience in ways which do not correspond to ordinary experience, and that to understand consciousness one must start with an accurate description of its phenomenology. Only then can one develop an understanding of how experiences viewed from a first-person perspective relate to events in the brain viewed from a third-person perspective. The paper then lists some common arguments for conscious experiences (accurately described) being nothing more than brain states along with their fallacies. It concludes that there are fundamental problems with ontological reductionism of conscious experiences to brain states that cannot be resolved.

'Are We Ourselves?': Notes Toward a Prehistory and History of Identity (1992, revisions 2002, 2003, 2006, 2012

by Ronald Helfrich, Jnr.

“Un matérialisme désincarné : la théorie de l’identité cerveau-esprit”

by Charles Wolfe

Matière première vol. 1 (2006) : Nature et naturalisations

Ce travail poursuit un double objectif, à la fois historique et théorique. Je tente d’abord de fournir une généalogie... more Ce travail poursuit un double objectif, à la fois historique et théorique. Je tente d’abord de fournir une généalogie et une évaluation de l’épisode « matérialiste » dans la philosophie anglo-saxonne contemporaine à la fin des années 1950 en Australie, avec U.T. Place, J.J.C. Smart, et D.M. Armstrong. Ces auteurs utilisaient moins l’expression « materialism » que celle de « théorie de l’identité » (identity theory), quoique Smart est bien l’auteur de l’article « Materialism » de l’Encyclopedia Britannica. Par là, ils entendaient une théorie portant sur la nature du rapport entre cerveau et esprit — remarquons d’emblée qu’il n’est plus question de matière et d’esprit —, une théorie à forte connotation programmatique, puisqu’il s’agissait de montrer que ce rapport était en fait une identité. Afin de mieux cerner cet épisode de l’histoire intellectuelle, je tenterai également de fournir quelques éclaircissements sur ses liens avec le Cercle de Vienne (un des premiers membres de cette « communauté de chercheurs » hors Australie fut Herbert Feigl) ; sa réaction au béhaviorisme ; et sa postérité dans la « philosophie de l’esprit » contemporaine. En conclusion, je proposerai une première évaluation de ce type de matérialisme par rapport à un matérialisme philosophique plus généralement défini, et cela m’amènera à quelques critiques de la « théorie de l’identité ».

Churchland, Patricia S.

by Michael J. Braund

published in The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2008

Patricia Smith Churchland, philosopher (b Oliver, BC 16 July 1943). Patricia Churchland earned a BA at the University... more Patricia Smith Churchland, philosopher (b Oliver, BC 16 July 1943). Patricia Churchland earned a BA at the University of British Columbia and completed graduate degrees at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Oxford. In 1969 she was hired by the University of Manitoba, where she taught for 15 years. Churchland became the President's Professor of Philosophy at the University of California at San Diego in 1984, and subsequently adjunct professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and associate of the Computational Neuroscience Laboratory at the Salk Institute. Churchland's groundbreaking work in neurophilosophy has secured her a position among Canada's most influential philosophers.

To read more, please find this entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia

How Brianna became Bossy and Kofi came out smart: Understanding the differentially mediated identity and engagement of two group leaders in a project-based mathematics classroom

by Jennifer Langer-Osuna

This article addresses equity in mathematics classrooms through a focus on students’coconstructed trajectories of... more This article addresses equity in mathematics classrooms through a focus on students’coconstructed trajectories of identity and engagement in cooperative learning groups. I examine how two students who served as group leaders in a projects-based algebra classroom constructed markedly different trajectories of identity and engagement across the academic year. Results showed that group members differentially interpreted their respective project-related directives in gendered ways such that the female group leaders’ displays of authority were positioned as inappropriate, while the male group leaders’ displays were positioned as desirable.

Unveiling the ‘International’: Process, Identity and Alterity

by Xavier Guillaume

Published in 'Millennium: Journal of International Studies', 2007

Process-based approaches avoid ontological consideration of social entities as substances, avoid epistemological... more Process-based approaches avoid ontological consideration of social entities as substances, avoid epistemological reification of social entities or phenomena into static units and, on the contrary, integrate the idea of change into their whole conceptualisation of the social world. Finally, process-based approaches also aim to endogenise social phenomena theoretically in order to have a better understanding of their complexity. In sum, the key ideas of process-based approaches basically lie in the prioritisation of process over substance, relation over separateness, and activity over passivity. Starting from this position, the aim of this article is to offer a more concrete approach to a specific dimension of the `international' by focusing on the identity— alterity nexus. It will be shown how the spatial understanding of the `international' still characteristic of most contemporary IR theories is at odds with issues about the identity—alterity nexus that is partly constitutive of the `international', which rather than being thought of as a spatial dimension should be thought of as a process in itself. The French `veil affair' will be presented as an example to highlight the limits of our current spatial perspective about the `international'.

Foreign Policy and the Politics of Alterity

by Xavier Guillaume

Published in 'Millennium: Journal of International Studies', 2002

Trying specifically not to fall into either eclecticism or redundancy, this paper is an attempt to develop a... more Trying specifically not to fall into either eclecticism or redundancy, this paper is an attempt to develop a dialogical understanding of international relations within the meta-theoretical field of constructivism. Dialogism holds that the social world is constructed through an interweaving of mutually-responsive discourses between several agents. Further, it provides an interpretative tool, the hermeneutical locus, to understand agents' identities as a factor in international relations by discerning their expressivity, contextuality and relationality. Dealing more closely with the questions of identity and identity formation within the discipline of International Relations, the paper further regards national identity as a factor which is expressed in a particular aspect of foreign policy: the politics of alterity. Grounding my approach in the works of the Russian intellectual Mikhail Mikhailovitch Bakhtin, in the first part of the paper I define what is to be understood by dialogism and its constitutive notion of transgredience. The second part is dedicated to the actual integration of dialogism within the discipline of International Relations. An example drawn from Japanese domestic and foreign policy prior to the Second World War further facilitates the comprehension of the theoretical argument concerning the link between the national and the international in a politics of alterity.

PSYCHICAL APPEARANCE AND REALITY: KANT, RATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY AND THE IDENTITY THEORY Kant's error about rational psychology: …

by Titus Rivas

The ontological identity theory is a contradictory position based on the untenable notion of two perspectives from... more The ontological identity theory is a contradictory position based on the untenable notion of two perspectives from which one would be able to consider the conscious mind. The only viable road to the conscious mind is the subjective one. The conscious mind is not really something physical.

Translation and discursive identity

by Clem Robyns

Published in Poetics Today 15:3, Fall 1994, pp. 405-428.

For any target discourse, translation, as a confrontation with the nonidentical, is a potential threat to its own... more For any target discourse, translation, as a confrontation with the nonidentical, is a potential threat to its own identity. Via a broad definition of translation as “discursive migration,” this paper discusses the possible ways in which a discourse may react to the intrusion of alien discursive elements. Two basic questions function as guidelines: Does a discursive practice acknowledge the otherness of intruding elements? And, does it allow their intrusion without transforming them according to target codes? Thus, four prototypical stances (imperialist, defensive, trans-discursive and defective) are extensively discussed. Finally, this framework is applied to the conflicts characterizing the identity construction of translation studies as a discipline in itself.

The Marginalization of Italian American Writers and Italian American Literature

by Michael Carosone

Mind-Brain Correlations, Identity, and Neuroscience

by Brandon Towl

Another Side of Clare Savage’s Identity Crisis: A Queer Theoretical Analysis of Michelle Cliff’s Abeng

by Michael Carosone

Geoffrey Chaucer: Feminist Or Not?

by Michael Carosone

A revised theory of cognitive consistency

by Jesse Fletcher

Residents' Support for Tourism: An Identity Perspective

by Robin Nunkoo

Annals of Tourism Research

Studies on residents’ support have primarily been conducted in the developed world. This study analyzes community... more Studies on residents’ support have primarily been conducted in the developed world. This study analyzes community support in the island economy of Mauritius by testing a model based on the social exchange theory and the identity theory. The model proposes that the resource-based occupational identity, environmental identity, and gender identity of the residents influence attitudes to tourism impacts and support (behavior). Results indicate that one’s identity has a direct bearing on support, but may not always influence attitudes. Findings confirm the relevance of the social exchange theory and the identity theory in explaining community support in island economies. The study’s practical implications and limitations are discussed.

Island Residents’ Identities and their Support for Tourism: An Integration of Two Theories

by Robin Nunkoo

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

Most studies that examine tourism impacts and community attitudes have been carried out from the perspective of... more Most studies that examine tourism impacts and community attitudes have been carried out from the perspective of industrialized economies, making the findings less valid for small islands. This paper discusses some pertinent issues in relation to tourism development and community attitudes in small islands, and it develops and presents a conceptual framework based on social exchange theory and identity theory. The different facets of identity relevant to small-island communities that are likely to influence attitudes and support for tourism are incorporated in the framework and discussed. These include occupational identity, environmental identity and gender identity. Based on these, five propositions are developed. The study concludes that inclusion of identity variables in behavioral models could increase their predictive power in explaining attitudes to tourism and consequent support for the industry.

Identity and Everyday Life: Essays In the Study of Folklore, Music, and Popular Culture (Review)

by Anthony Buccitelli

European identity compared: A mixed methods approach (draft)

by Jeroen Moes

Unpublished (but presented at conferences) - draft

CosmoPoles: Shifting boundaries in the identification with Europe

by Jeroen Moes

My thesis, written for the research master (MSc(Res)) 'Social Cultural Science'

Reflexiones sobre la identidad con Doctor Pasavento de Enrique Vila-Matas - Reflections on Identity with Enrique Vila-Matas´ Doctor Pasavento

by Andres Romero-Jodar

Published (in Spanish) in "Dicenda: Cuadernos de Filología Hispánica" (2010, 28)

La identidad es uno de los temas centrales de la crítica postmodernista contemporánea. Muchos autores, tanto teóricos... more La identidad es uno de los temas centrales de la crítica postmodernista contemporánea. Muchos autores, tanto teóricos como creativos, se han centrado en el tema para aportar sus ideas a un concepto tan abstracto. Enrique Vila-Matas en su Doctor Pasavento explora las complejidades de la identidad individual. El propósito de este ensayo es reflexionar sobre el concepto contemporáneo de identidad que se puede ver representado en esta novela. En este ensayo se ofrece un esbozo de la «teoría del arcón de identidades» para una posible lectura del texto de Vila-Matas, considerando aspectos tan significativos como la importancia del nombre, la identidad como «viaje», o la dificultad para separar las ontologías de las diegesis de la realidad y de la ficción literaria.
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Identity is one of the key topics in contemporary postmodernist criticism. Many authors, either theorists or creators, have focused on this subject to add their own ideas in such an abstract concept. Enrique Vila Matas’ Doctor Pasavento explores the complexities of the individual’s identity. This essay aims at reflecting on the contemporary concept of identity that this novel may be said to portray. In these pages, an overview of the «theory of identities' chest» is offered for a possible reading of Vila-Matas’s text, considering such different but meaningful topics as the importance of one’s name, identity as a «journey», or the difficulty for separating the diegetic ontologies of reality and literary fiction.