Theories
Biologic science

Some theorists, however, have taken a radically different approach, seeking to understand intelligence directly in terms of its biologic bases without intervening hypothetical constructs. These theorists, usually called reductionists, believe that a true understanding of intelligence can result only from the identification of its biologic substrates.

Reductionism takes an appealing philosophical stance, and some would argue that there is no real alternative if the goal is to explain rather than merely to describe behaviour. But the case is not an open-and-shut one. In trying to discover why an automobile does not start in the morning, for example, the driver does not usually imagine that the basic problem is one involving molecules and atoms. The driver is probably better advised to analyze the performance of components, such as the starter or carburetor. Even if the automobile's molecular or atomic reactions could be analyzed, such an analysis would probably be unhelpful. The example suggests that the biologic approaches to intelligence should be looked at as complementary to, rather than as replacing, other approaches.

All content Copyright (c) 1999 Linus and Shouyi. All rights reserved.