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The belief that reality consists of two fundamental, distinct components such as mind and matter. Key thinker: René Descartes.

The theory that everything that exists is no more extensive than its physical properties and that the only existing substance is physical. Key thinker: Daniel Dennett.

The theory that mental states are defined by their functional role in causal relations with other mental states and sensory inputs. Key thinker: Hilary Putnam.

A theory that psychology should concern itself only with the observable behavior of organisms and that internal states (like beliefs and desires) are explained in behavioral terms. Key thinker: B.F. Skinner.

The quality of mental states that are directed at or about something. Key thinker: Franz Brentano.

The subjective, individual experiences of perception and sensation, such as the redness of a rose or the pain of a headache. Key thinker: Frank Jackson.

The view that mental states are identical to physical brain states. Key thinkers: U.T. Place, J.J.C. Smart.

The doctrine that all entities in the universe, from stones to stars, have a type of mind or consciousness. Key thinker: David Chalmers.

The claim that common-sense psychological concepts such as beliefs, desires, and intentions do not exist, and that neuroscientific terms are destined to replace them. Key thinker: Paul Churchland.

The view that mental events are caused by physical events in the brain, but mental events themselves cause nothing. Key thinker: Thomas Huxley.

The belief in emergence, where larger entities arise through interactions among smaller entities, and possess unique properties. Key thinker: C.D. Broad.

A form of monism that posits that mental events are identical to physical events, but that the mental is not reducible to the physical. Key thinker: Donald Davidson.

A view that the phenomenal character of experiences is to be analyzed in terms of their representational properties. Key thinker: Fred Dretske.

The philosophical study of the structures of subjective experience and consciousness. Key thinker: Edmund Husserl.

The claim that the mind extends beyond the brain and body to include the environment, especially in its use of tools and technology. Key thinkers: Andy Clark, David Chalmers.

The ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, emotions, knowledge, etc.—to oneself and to others. Key thinker: Premack and Woodruff.

The thesis that a single mental kind (like pain) can be instantiated in multiple kinds of systems, not just brains. Key thinker: Hilary Putnam.

The interdisciplinary study of neuroscience and philosophy aimed at understanding consciousness, cognition, and the mind. Key thinker: Patricia Churchland.

A method of prediction and explanation that involves treating an entity as if it had beliefs and desires, regardless of whether it does. Key thinker: Daniel Dennett.