Reductionism, Free Will, Determinism and the Biological LOA This is key evaluation which can be brought into any questions from this section

The Biological LOA: A Reductionist Approach Definition: Reductionism is an approach to understanding the nature of complex things by reducing them to the interactions of their parts, or to simpler or more fundamental things (e.g. depression is caused buy low serotonin) Reductionism is based on ‘Occam's razor’ or ‘Morgan’s law of parsimony’ (parsimony means –’less is better’) This principle states that when explaining any phenomenon (e.g. behavior) the simplest level of explanation is the best - "All other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best.“ E.g. – if the cause of eating disorders can be attributed to genes – then it should be explained in this way The biological LOA emphasizes the role of genes, neurotransmitters and brain structures in determining behavior. This means that the biological LOA is a reductionist one – because it concentrates on the part biological factors play in psychological conditions Has this approach been valuable? – Yes -for example – Its enables the use of the scientific method, and has lead to researchers from the Biological LOA to identify the role of neurotransmitters and genes in mental disorders, (e.g. serotonin levels and depression, and the role genes in the development of eating disorders) as well as the functions of specific structures in the brain. Is taking a reductionist approach always a problem? Not always, – but it often is a problem – most human behaviors involve a higher level cognitive functions (thinking) and social & cultural factors also play an important role in the way we behave, and these are not usually considered by the biological LOA For a full explanation of behavior we need to study all these different levels (cognitive, social& cultural and biological) - this means taking a holistic approach so the reductionist nature of the biological LOA limits it as a LOA

Free will vs. Determinism

Free will & Determinism and the biological LOA There is a debate about whether we has human beings have ‘free will’ and we are able to make choices which will influence who we are and how we behave, and a “determinist” view which proposes that everything that happens has a definite cause, and it is that cause that determines what happens. Determinism – and in order to study human behavior scientifically, we must study these causes Determinism is the view that, for everything that happens, there is a condition or set of conditions which are the cause for that thing happening.“ (Oakley, 2001) – and in order to study human behavior scientifically, we must study these causes Free will proposes that we have an ability to chose the actions that we take, so we cannot explain everything by simply studying the causes of processes Determinism involves the denial of free will – Hard determinism denies free will altogether (free will is the sense that we exercise control over our decisions) there is also Soft Determinism which proposes that in some situations we do have some free will to make decisions (we will look at this when we study the cognitive LOA) The philosopher David Hume (1734) argued that if an event is determined by something else, then the two events should be highly correlated and should appear in a chronological order (e.g. low serotonin leads to depression) *The discussion of free will and determinism involves moral accountability (ethics) – if we don’t have free will – then are we still responsible for our actions? The biological LOA takes the view that behavior is determined by internal, biological processes or systems. This is biological determinism.

The Biological LOA Biological & Genetic Determinism The biological LOA takes the view that behavior is determined by internal, biological processes or systems (Eg. Depression is caused by low serotonin levels). This is biological determinism. Up to a point biological determinism may be a valid argument because physiological factors provide explanations of behavior but do they offer a complete explanation? Biological determinism may be more applicable to non-human animals where learning has less influence on behavior. Non-human animals also lack self awareness, which is associated with the concept of “will”. Without self awareness and consciousness, can you say about an organism that it has a will? One line within the biological LOA is genetic determinism claiming that your genetic make-up (e.g. intelligence, the probability of developing eating disorders) is given from birth and cannot be altered and this is what determines our behaviour. Within evolutionary psychology the genetic make-up of organisms determines ‘natural’ behavior, (e.g. becoming depressed, developing an eating disorder, being “intelligent”) - This behavior is seen as the result of inherited characteristics that has been naturally selected and passed on to the next generation.

1. What is reductionism? What type of approach is it? 2. Give an example of a reductionist explanation 3. What is ‘Morgan’s Law of Parsimony’? 4. What does the biological LOA emphasizes the role of in explaining human behavior? 5. Why is the biological LOA a reductionist approach? 6. How has the reductionist approach that the Biological LOA takes been valuable? 7. What are some of the limitations of taking a reductionist approach to explaining behavior? 8. What does it mean to take a holistic approach to studying behavior? Why is this a good way to find out about human behavior? 9. What is the difference between free will and determinism? 10. What is the difference between hard and soft determinism? 11. What did the 11. What did the philosopher David Hume (1734) say about determinism? 12. Is the Biological LOA determinist? Why? 13. What is biological determinism? 14. Why might biological determinism apply to animals more than humans? 15. What is genetic determinism 16. Fill in the gaps: Evolutionary psychology proposed that the …………..makeup of organisms determines their ……………. Answer in groups of four: One person takes notes on the laptop then the group/ post on the wiki

Biological LOA: Note Taking & Quiz Review Activities: 1) Make sure that both sides of the green notes sheet are completed 2) Review for the quiz on Monday 27 th Sept, here are the topics you should know: The Key Principles of the biological LOA Clive Wearing Early case studies from the Biological LOA Reductionism The Holistic Approach Determinism (Biological & Genetic)