Body, Mind And Soul Flashcards
What do monists believe?
The mind and body are one and the same nature
What do dualists believe?
The body and soul are two separate natures
What does Plato think about the body and soul?
The soul is real and an essential part of us it’s the immutable reality of World if the Forms. The body acts like a prison for the soul which chains us to our senses. Our soul wants to escape to the WOF. Our body is constantly changing, aging and decaying and will cease to exist. Our body is controlled by our deceivable senses
Plato is right there is a separate soul.
Explains inner conflict. You may know to go to the gym to be healthy but you feel lazy. Reason is not in control of my soul.
When it is in control my soul is in harmony - as we mature - more rational decisions based on reason - more unified as a person
Using reason our soul does anamnesis.
Opposites: light and dark, large and small, life and death. The soul moves to WOF - must be separate
Plato is wrong there is no separate soul.
The inner conflict could simply be emotion or lack of maturity, swayed by desires rather than an immaterial soul
No verifiable evidence or an immaterial soul
Peter Geach - how can the disembodied soul see the forms when seeing is a physical process
Socrates example - soul might not remember but just learn
Opposites no need for soul to be opposite of the body. What’s the opposite for blue?
What does Aristotle think of body and soul?
Aristotle thinks that the soul cannot be separated from the body. Like a seal on some wax material cause wax and the form the shape of the seal. The body is the material cause and the soul is the formal.
A living and dead chicken both have feathers and beak (matter), but there are differences in form the dead chicken no longer clucks, pecks and walks around (formal cause of a living chicken)
The soul animates the body and gives it its characteristics and form
What things did Aristotle apply the soul to?
Vegetative - characterises of growing
Appetitive - refers to the ability to act and fulfill desires for the food, reproduction and so on
Rational - abilities (intellect) are found only in human souls
Aristotle’s view of the soul is successful.
Soul is essential because it is the formal cause of the body. Axe (blade and handle - matter) the form (the ability to chop) needs the form to be what it is
E. Anscombe intention behind pointing (more to physical action)
Cannot be separated like seal and wax
The soul dies with the body explains differences we see within death
Aristotle’s view of the soul is not successful.
Materialists would argue that we are made of matter only, no need to assume something extra
Plato would argue that the soul can be separated from the body which imprisons it during life
Materialists would argue no need to assume a soul as when dead the physical body ceasing to function explains the difference
What is Descartes’ focus of body and mind and what is he.
Substance dualist - mental and physical - two kinds of substances
He began to doubt all as he could be being deceived by an evil demon and even his body may not exist (illusion)
If this was the case he is still thinking - ‘cogito, ergo sum’ - I think therefore I am
The mind is where thinking takes place and therefore the mind is the essence of himself and he must exist
The body cannot think. And can be separated (amputated limbs) the mind cannot
To feel and understand is in the mind. They must be separate substances. Immaterial mind and material body
How do the mind and body interfere - Descartes?
The pineal gland, in the centre of the brain. Because there are two nostrils, ears etc but only one pineal gland
The mind and body must be separate substances.
They can be tested differently the mind is immaterial and the body is physical
Personhood - what makes each individual unique e.g memories, physical appearance, mind, soul. Give someone a transplant they’re still the same person because their mind is the same. A whole person
Solves the issue of how an immaterial mind could communicate with a material body
The mind and body cannot be separate substances.
A person who’s lost a limb will act differently maybe be traumatised and have a different outlook on life and people will see them differently. Perhaps the mind and body are more closely connected than Descartes allows
Would you recognise your classmates in 30 years time? A combination of mind and body, mannerisms etc.
Pineal gland secretes hormones - regulates sleep etc. therefore a physical function and unlikely to be point of contact
Gilbert Ryle - ghost in the machine - ghost on a bike
The idea of Cartesian theatre? - Daniel Dennett
I am inside my head looking out watching controlling all my actions as I’m the audience watching but I’m the only member of the audience
Ryle criticisms of Descartes.
Ghost in the machine
Stranger in Oxford colleges, the library, sports hall etc. asks where’s the university
Cricket - where’s the team spirit
Military parade - where’s the division
Category error - a logical error with the use of language a mistake is made by applying concepts or language to the wrong type of category
Ryle says Descartes does this as he does not need to separate the mind and body they’re a description of the whole person and what it means to be a conscious, thinking being
We express ourselves as I rather than our hand, we encompass both aspects of ourselves
