Brain disorders and mental dysfunction
One way to understand the function of an entity is to study its dysfunction. For this reason, the topic of brain disorders and mental dysfunction is a core element of the Berlin School of Mind and Brain. It has long been recognized that direct effects on the brain can result in altered mental functions.
Only recently, however, has it been widely acknowledged that psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, addiction, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) also can be understood as brain disorders. The rise of cognitive neuroscience as well as methodological developments in brain imaging and stimulation have contributed significantly to this insight and provide food for thought in philosophy. For example, blindsight and anosognosia have stirred discussions on theories of conciousness; addiction is used as a prime example in the discussion of free will and self-control; theories of agency have been strongly influenced by research on schizophrenia; and recent neurobiological research on psychopathy has become a challenge for philosophical theories of responsibility.
Much controversy continues, however, about the relevance of brain-based approaches to the human mind. Reductionists claim that mental disorders are nothing more than brain disorders, whereas others deem the discovery of neural correlates of mental dysfunction as rather unspectacular. This discussion is mirrored in the philosophical debate on the mind–brain problem and in the philosophy of science. Like thought experiments, neuropsychiatric disorders may serve as intuition pumps: They stimulate new insights and inspirations and, moreover, are challenging explananda for any general theory of mind.
Special Newsletter issue on dysfunction and disorders research: view or download pdf
