Functionalism

Links: Stanford Encyclopedia ~ Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy ~ Wikipedia: Structural Functionalism

Functionalism is the doctrine that what makes something a thought, desire, pain (or any other type of mental state) depends not on its internal constitution, but solely on its function, or the role it plays, in the cognitive system of which it is a part. More precisely, functionalist theories take the identity of a mental state to be determined by its causal relations to sensory stimulations, other mental states, and behavior.

Overview

Causal versus functional analysis.
Function of a social practice is different from intention.
Society as body: holistic, self:-regulation, differentiation, adaptation.
Organic solidarity - what makes us one society?
Division of labor resolves increasing competition. More people can coexist.
Are people who believe in magic less intelligent?

Emile Durkheim:

"The totality of beliefs and sentiments common to the average members of a society forms a determinate system with a life of its own. It can be termed the collective or creative consciousness." The Division of Labour (1893)

Malinowsky

1. Definition of needs:
  1. primary biological needs
  2. social needs: cooperation, solidarity.
  3. integrative needs of society: institutions, traditions, intergenerational transmission.
2. We need culture for survival.

Radcliffe-Brown

1. Anthropology serves colonialism
2. Rigorous fieldwork, the discipline needs professionalization
3. Society is not explainable by reduction to biological or psychological needs
4. Social structure is actually observable, not some deep invisible truth.
5. Example: social club: people come and go, organization survives.

Talcott Parsons

1. Central is the idea of society as a system. Problem of agency. Actors don't have to be people, could be group or institution.
2. Tonnies distinction between society as Gesellschaft, or Gemeinschaft. (personal relations versus impersonal interactions)
3. Parsons differentiates this further. The first term refers to society, the second to community.
  1. Universalism versus particularism,
  2. performance versus quality,
  3. specific versus diffuse relations,
  4. affective neutrality versus affectivity.
4. Differentiation between family system and economic system
5. AGIL Scheme: Adaptation, Goal attainment, Integration, Latency
6. Adaptive upgrading: once you specialize a subsystem, you can upgrade them easier.
7. Society has four subsystems: economy, politics, social integration systems, cultural values and normative regulations.