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Paul Churchland

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Philosopher

The Resume

    (October 21, 1942- )
    Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Main proponent of eliminative materialism along with his wife Patricia
    Taught at University of Toronto (1967-1969), University of Pittsburgh (1969), University of Manitoba (1969-1984), and University of California, San Diego
    Wrote the books ‘Scientific Realism and the Plasticity of Mind’ (1979), ‘Matter and Consciousness’ (1984), ‘Images of Science: Scientific Realism versus Constructive Empiricism’ (1985), ‘A Neurocomputational Perspective: The Nature of Mind and the Structure of Science’ (1989), ‘The Engine of Reason, The Seat of the Soul: A Philosophical Journey into the Brain’ (1995), and ‘Neurophilosophy at Work’ (2007)
    Wrote the essays ‘Eliminative Materialism and the Propositional Attitudes’ (1981), ‘Folk Psychology and the Explanation of Human Behavior’ (1988), and ‘Could a Machine Think?’ (1990)

Why he might be annoying:

    He lumps mental concepts like thoughts and feelings into ‘folk psychology’.
    He argues that a neuroscience that eliminates all traces of folk psychology will emerge as science disproves notions like witchcraft and legends.
    Whenever he and his wife talk about their thoughts and feelings, they use technobabble rather than simple words.
    He admits that his ideas on how the consciousness works may be mistaken in terms of neurology, making his ideas on it reductionist rather than eliminativist.
    His ideas have a tendency to clash with science at times.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His books have been translated into ten different languages.
    He and his wife have worked together for more than three decades, even co-writing a book titled ‘On the Contrary’ (1998).
    He taught a number of Ph. D students like Matthew J. Brown, P.D. Magnus, and Philip Brey.
    He has an impressive teaching career.

Credit: Big Lenny


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 7 Votes: 85.71% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 18 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 20 Votes: 65.00% Annoying