DUALIST THEORIES

Question 1

What two types of substances are there?

Answer 1

Mental and Physical

Question 2

What is substance dualism?

Answer 2

States there are two types of substances, Mental and Physical

The brain and mind are independent of each other, With distinct sets of properties. But are linked in some way

Question 3

Summarise Descartes divisibility argument

Answer 3

• My body is divisible
• My mind is not
• Therefore my mind and body are separate things

Question 4

Summarise ‘The mind is divisible’ response to Descartes

Answer 4

-Some people have split personality disorder, which some may see as the mind being divided

Question 5

Summarise ‘Not all physical things are divisible” response to Descartes

Answer 5

Some physical things are not divisible, such as electrons ( quantised ), If we can reach a non divisible point in a physical thing, then we cannot use divisibility to define whats physical or mental.

Question 6

Summarise Descartes conceivability argument

Answer 6

• I have a clear and distinct idea of my mind as a thinking thing not extended in space
• I have a clear and distinct idea of my body as a non thinking thing extended in space
• Anything i can think of clearly and distinctly, God can create
• so God can create my mind as a thinking thing not extended in space and by body a non thinking thing extended in space

Question 7

what is property dualism

Answer 7

mental states depend on the brain
mental states are not reducible to brain states
brains have two types of properties/ mental and physical
property dualism is the view that some minds have non-physical properties.
property dualists believe a full physicalist explanation of the universe would miss out Qualia

Question 8

define qualia

Answer 8

subjective properties of experience.
‘qualia are intrinsic phenomenal properties which are introspectively accessible.’
they are not properties of objects, they are properties of our experience with objects

Question 9

zombie argument for property dualism

Answer 9

physicalism claims that consciousness is nothing more than physical. Meaning if we had a physical duplicate of the world, then humans would have consciousness.
meaning zombies are metaphysically impossible.

Question 10

summarise Chalmer’s zombie argument

Answer 10

p1-physicalism claims that consciousness is physical
c1- if this is true then any physical replica of the brain would have consciousness. (zombies wouldnt exist)
p2- we can concieve of physical brain with no consciousness
p3- what is conceivable is metaphysically possible
c2-therefore a zombie world is possible
c3- therefore physicalism is false

Question 11

what is conceivable may not be metaphysically possible

Answer 11

just because we can can imagine something, does not mean it is physically possible. it might just be logically possible.

Question 12

masked man fallacy

Answer 12

• i conceive of batman as a caped crusader
• i conceive of bruce wayne as a billionare who is not a caped crusader
• therefore, batman is not bruce wayne.

so even if it is conceivable that batman is someone else, this tells us nothing about how things are in reality.

Question 13

solipsism- problem of other minds

Answer 13

Solipsism is the idea that only one mind is the only thing that can be known to exist.
substance dualism cant avoid these solipsistic doubts.
we can only experience our own minds- not others.
however if substance dualism is true then we cannot doubt this.

Question 14

causal interaction

Answer 14

How does the non-physical mental state (left) cross over into the physical world (over the red line) and cause changes in my brain and in my behaviour?
Physical things only move if they are pushed
Only something that is physical and can touch the thing that is moved can exert such a force
But the mind is not physical, so it can’t touch the body
Therefore, the mind cannot move the body