What Neuroscience Tells Us About Mental Illness: Scientific Realism in the Biomedical Sciences

Our philosophical understanding of mental illness is being shaped by neuroscience. However, it has the paradoxical effect igniting two radically opposed groups views. On one side, skepticism and denialism assume that, lacking clear biological mechanisms etiologies for most illnesses, we should infer they are constructions best explained means social factors. This strongly associated with medical nihilism: considers psychiatry more harmful than benign. other side divide, naturalism reductionism on look failures in functioning organism whenever a genuine occurs. Psychiatry as currently practiced, accordingly, exhibits gaps an ongoing research programme; yet to be completed neuroscience would link illnesses identifiable mechanisms. Both sides this divide claim fostered scientific discoveries advances neuroscience, when taken at face value. Against background, argue instead modest view. To that end, draw attention some nuances realism debate. While contending neuroscientific theories models aim provide true representations their target systems, can justifiably have attained some, our confidence not placed beforehand specific features these representations. Hence, unwarranted extract morals from posits (or absence) explanations illnesses. illustrate position, examine recent concerning bipolar disorder. We conclude linking topic broader issue philosophy medicine: insofar biomedical specialty, its classifications health disease guided pragmatic concerns, well discoveries.