Can eliminative materialism be successfully defended?
AQA A-Level Philosophy | Paper 2 | 2026 Predicted Paper | Question 10 Mark Scheme
Can eliminative materialism be successfully defended?
[25 marks]
What is expected
This is a 25-mark evaluative essay, with 5 marks for AO1 and 20 marks for AO2. The student therefore needs enough accurate knowledge to establish what eliminative materialism claims, but most of the answer should be spent analysing objections, responding to them, weighing their strength and reaching a justified conclusion. The official AQA 2022 paper asked the very similar question, “To what extent is eliminative materialism correct?”, with the same AO1/AO2 split.
For this shadow question, the safest specification-focused route is to centre the essay on the three issues AQA currently specifies: certainty about our mental states, the predictive and explanatory power of folk psychology, and the charge that eliminative materialism is self-refuting.
Levels of response
Marks | Descriptor |
21–25 | A sustained, purposeful argument directly answering the question. Knowledge is detailed and precise. Arguments and counterarguments are presented in strong forms, integrated into the student's reasoning and evaluated throughout. The student makes clear judgements about which objections are decisive and reaches a robustly defended conclusion. |
16–20 | A clear and largely sustained argument. Knowledge is detailed and accurate. Relevant objections and responses are explained and weighed, with a clear conclusion, although evaluation may occasionally be less developed or precise. |
11–15 | A clear response containing generally accurate knowledge and genuine evaluation. Arguments and counterarguments are present, but weighing may be uneven or some sections may become descriptive. The conclusion is supported, although not fully defended. |
6–10 | Some relevant argument and accurate knowledge are present, but evaluation is limited or inconsistent. Material may be presented as a sequence of points rather than a sustained argument. |
1–5 | Limited or fragmentary relevant material. There is little evidence of a developed argument and significant gaps or misunderstandings may be present. |
0 | Nothing worthy of credit. |
AQA's top band for the comparable 2022 question requires a sustained argument, detailed and precise understanding, strong versions of arguments and counterarguments, ongoing judgements about their relative weight, and a clearly defended conclusion.
Indicative content
Students are not required to include everything below. A tightly argued answer based on the three specified challenges can achieve full marks.
Eliminative materialism
Students may explain that eliminative materialism is a physicalist theory of mind, associated in the specification with Patricia Churchland and Paul Churchland.
It claims that:
some or all of the mental states and properties assumed by our ordinary, common-sense understanding of the mind do not exist
this ordinary understanding is referred to as folk psychology
folk psychology uses mental-state concepts such as beliefs and desires to explain and predict behaviour
according to eliminative materialism, our common-sense conception of such states is radically mistaken
AQA's subject-specific vocabulary defines eliminative materialism specifically as the physicalist theory that some or all common-sense, folk-psychological mental states do not exist and that our ordinary understanding of them is radically mistaken.
A crucial distinction should be maintained:
Eliminative materialism is not mind-brain type identity theory.
Identity theory says mental states exist but are identical with brain states. Eliminative materialism claims that at least some of the mental states postulated by folk psychology do not exist as folk psychology conceives them.
This distinction matters greatly. The AQA 2022 examiner report identified confusion between eliminative materialism and reductive identity theories as a common weakness.
Issue 1: certainty about our mental states
One specified objection is that our certainty about the existence of our mental states takes priority over other considerations.
A student might argue:
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