Mind and Massive Modularity Hypothesis
Subject Areas : Philosophy
Keywords: Module, Massive Modularity of Mind, Encapsulation, Domain- Specificity, Fodor, Simon, Complex System, Nearly Decomposable Subsystem,
Abstract :
Massive Modularity Hypothesis of Mind assumes that the mind is composed largely, or perhaps even entirely, of modules. Since the publication of Modularity of the Mind (Fodor, 1983) modularity has occupied a central role in the studies of mind and cognitive science. But in philosophy there is no agreement about this role. In this paper, first I propose that many of these problems are the effects of the Fodorian base of Massive Modularity Hypothesis, and then I suggest taking Simon’s works on complexity as a proper base for modularity. In the last section of this paper, I consider two common characteristics of mind, i.e. domain- specificity and encapsulation, and argue that in shadow of Massive Modularity Hypothesis these characteristics can be explained better.