(A) So far as it goes, the best summation of the theory of metaphysical skepticism/anti-realism goes as so: “reference to the mentality of a mental disorder should be and hopefully will be (if this has not already occurred in certain cases) superseded or displaced by a brain-centered or physicalistic and non-mentalistic understanding of mental disorder” (Graham 71). This particular theory, under the category of radical skepticism/anti-realism, claims that “mentality” has nothing to do with bizarre behaviors or phenomenally outlandish actions taken by any one individual. In the book, the historic chemist’s tale of phlogiston is used as an analogy to describe the position of anti-realists. The relation goes as so: phlogiston was a substance proposed by 18th century chemists that explained the inherent trait of combustibility in certain substances that was later superseded by a better, more explainable theory of combustibility and …show more content…
The appeal of the theory of phlogiston was that it explained why some substances were more combustible than others (consisting of more phlogiston) but did not explain why features, such as weight, once the phlogiston was extracted was more than that of the uncombusted/unfiltered-of-phlogiston …show more content…
The driving point in rejecting the theory of mental illness for the metaphysical skeptics is that dualism is not true. However, as George Graham states in his first line of defense against anti-realist conclusions is that “mental” in mental illness is in fact “both real and physical” (Graham 76). This attack of the third premise of anti-realist claim, nothing is non-physical, is perhaps the best response to the anti-realist/metaphysical skeptic’s