Multiple realization and methodological pluralism

Abstract

Multiple realization was once taken to be a challenge to reductionist visions, especially within cognitive science, and a foundation of the "antireductionist consensus." More recently, multiple realization has come to be challenged on naturalistic grounds, as well as on more "metaphysical" grounds. Within cognitive science, one focal issue concerns the role of neural plasticity for addressing these issues. If reorganization maintains the same cognitive functions, that supports claims for multiple realization. I take up the reorganization involved in language dysfunctions to deal with questions concerned with multiple realization and neural plasticity. Beginning with Broca's case for localization and the nineteenth century discussion of "reorganization," and returning to more recent evidence for neural plasticity, I argue that, in the end, there is substantial support for multiple realization in cognitive systems; I further argue that this is wholly consistent with a recognition of methodological pluralism in cognitive science.

Resilience as a Unifying Concept

“…Other genes compensate for the loss (Mitchell 2009). Similar mechanisms can be observed at higher levels of organization as well-for example, where functions associated with damaged structures of the brain are taken over by other structures (Richardson 2009). This is one way in which global resilience can be realized within a particular system, but there are many others.…”

“…[15] The empirical validity of this thesis has come into question, especially as it pertains to mental kinds (Bechtel and Mundale 1999;Richardson 2009). This does not matter in the case of abstract notions, however.…”

What’s on Your Mind? A Brain Scan Won’t Tell

“…21 This definition goes hand in hand with the role of behavior as the standard criterion for ascribing mental states, and with the closely related fact that psychological functions have historically been identified by studying the observable behaviors of organisms in natural and unnatural environments (i.e., laboratories), presenting them with different types of stimuli, depriving them of certain kinds of stimuli, removing their components (e.g., lesioning studies, gene knockouts), or introducing stimuli directly into them (e.g., pharmacological agents) (Sullivan 2008, 506). neural degeneracy both within and across species abounds (Price and Friston 2002;Greenspan 2003;Noppeney et al 2004Noppeney et al , 2006Aizawa 2007;Aizawa and Gillett 2009a, b;Richardson 2009). In particular, and although they should be considered with caution, lesion and imaging studies which frequently show that entirely different anatomical areas of the brain can subserve the same cognitive functions, provide strong evidence for neural degeneracy (Figdor 2010, 428-431).…”

Multiple realization and evidence

“…[1] See Bechtel (2008), Block (1997), Fodor (1997, Gillett (2007), Kim (1992Kim ( , 1998, Polger and Shapiro (2008), Richardson (2009), andSober (1999).…”