ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the reconstructive approach to physicalism. It discusses that a well-known problem for physicalism, Carl Hempel's Dilemma, is in fact more serious than it is typically taken to be and undermines any attempt to offer a version of the metaphysical thesis that defers to the physical sciences. The chapter shows that there is a version of physicalism that better captures the views of researchers and philosophers who are actively engaged with the psychological and brain sciences. It redefines physicalism as an interdisciplinary research program aimed at understanding how physical entities give rise to and thus explain natural phenomena. Treating physicalism as a research program builds on the strengths of the previous reconstructive accounts but avoids many of their weaknesses. As a research program, physicalism is a multidisciplinary program that aims to offer a comprehensive explanation of the nature of the world.
