Final answer:
Theories that explain the brain's implementation of actions belong to psychology and neuroscience, with physicalism and functionalism as key concepts. They imply that mental processes are physical brain functions, challenging traditional views of free will.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding the Brain-Behavior Relationship
The class of theories that attempt to explain how the physical brain implements what people actually do is largely encompassed within the realm of psychology and neuroscience.
These disciplines seek to understand the mind-body problem, which is essentially the question of how our non-physical minds can influence the physical brain.
Advances in neuroscience have provided evidence that behavior, thoughts, and emotions can be significantly altered by changes in brain chemistry, injuries, or neurodegenerative diseases, further suggesting that our mental activities are deeply rooted in the physical brain.
Physicalism and Functionalism
According to the doctrine of physicalism, everything is physical, including the mind, which is seen as a function carried out by the brain. Functionalism, on the other hand, describes the mind in terms of brain activity: for instance, digestion is to the stomach what thinking is to the brain.
This functionalist perspective aligns with advancements in technology and artificial intelligence, drawing parallels between computational processes in computers and neural processes in the brain.
The Neuroscience Perspective
Research in neuroscience has questioned traditional notions of free will and moral responsibility, suggesting that our actions may be predetermined by neural processes.
This aligns with behaviorist views, which posit that all human actions can be accounted for by physical factors. Such developments challenge the concept of an independent, non-physical mind.