Aida Roige

Are modules of the mind mechanisms? What role does the New Mechanistic philosophy of science play in describing the architecture of the mind/brain? In this paper, I answer both questions. I argue that cognitive science uses two types of account: those targeting mechanisms-as-systems (“modules of the mind”) and those targeting mechanisms-as-causings. These types have quite different metaphysical implications and should not be conflated. Examples of the face-recognition system and mechanisms for placebo analgesia illustrate the differences. For partial explanations in cognitive science, I recommend using a minimal notion of mechanism. Last, I argue we ought to be treating the New Mechanistic philosophy as a toolbox.