epiphenomenalisms

Noun

epiphenomenalism (countable and uncountable, plural epiphenomenalisms)

1. (uncountable) The doctrine that consciousness, mental states and processes are simply by-products of physiological events in the brain or nervous system and cannot themselves cause anything, whether material or immaterial.
   • In the eyes of epiphenomenalism, anger does not cause one to shout nor does grief cause one to cry; the feelings are by-products of the underlying physical causes and nothing more.

   Synonyms:

   conscious automatism, automatism

2. (countable) Such a doctrine, as advanced by a particular thinker or school of thought.
   • The theory of emergent evolution has been largely developed as a corrective of mechanistic theories with their attendant psycho-physical dualisms and epiphenomenalisms.1926, Stephen C. Pepper, “Emergence”, in The Journal of Philosophy, volume 23, number 9, page 241