ABSTRACT
Functionalism represents a philosophical attempt to explicate a critical part of the research program of cognitive science—the way in which mental events are recognized and classified. Functionalism maintains that mental events are classified in terms of their causal roles. Thus, a mental event would be described in terms of its role in the mental system just as a cam shaft is characterized in terms of its causal role of controlling the opening and closing of valves in a car engine. An important aspect of this approach is the claim that mental events can be recognized and classified independently of their physical constitution. For this reason, Functionalism is often viewed as incompatible with the Type Identity Theory. 1 The position on the mind-body problem with which Functionalism is most often coupled is the Token Identity Theory, which likewise dissociates mental event descriptions from those applying to physical events.
