Philosophy of Mind Vocabulary

the property of mental states being about or directed at something

“Beliefs exhibit intentionality—they are always beliefs about something.”

Origin: Latin intendere (to stretch toward); from Brentano

the subjective, conscious qualities of experience (the 'what it's like')

“The qualia of seeing red cannot be fully conveyed in words.”

Origin: Latin qualis (of what kind); plural of quale

a mental state that stands for or depicts something else

“Mental representations allow us to think about absent objects.”

Origin: Latin repraesentare (to make present)

the view that mental states are defined by their functional roles

“Functionalism suggests minds could be implemented in different substrates.”

Origin: Latin functio (performance) + -ism

complex properties arising from simpler components that lack those properties

“Consciousness may be an emergent property of neural activity.”

Origin: Latin emergere (to rise out)

the idea that mental processes don't depend on specific physical material

“Substrate independence implies silicon could support consciousness.”

Origin: Latin sub- (under) + stratum (layer)

connecting abstract symbols to real-world meaning and experience

“The symbol grounding problem asks how words acquire meaning.”

Origin: Technical term from Stevan Harnad (1990)

the subjective, experiential aspect of mental states

“Phenomenal consciousness is what makes experiences feel like something.”

Origin: Greek phainomenon (that which appears)

a mental state relating a person to a proposition (believes that, hopes that)

“Propositional attitudes like belief and desire explain behavior.”

Origin: Latin propositio (statement) + attitude

the view that mind and body are fundamentally different substances

“Cartesian dualism posits a non-physical mind interacting with the body.”

Origin: Latin duo (two) + -ism

the view that everything, including mind, is ultimately physical

“Physicalism holds that mental states are brain states.”

Origin: Greek physikos (natural) + -ism

the view that mental events are caused by physical events but have no causal power

“Epiphenomenalism treats consciousness as a byproduct without influence.”

Origin: Greek epi- (upon) + phainomenon (appearance)