features of a mental state

Question 1

what are the 6 types of mental states

Answer 1

• sensations
• perceptions
• cognitive/epistemic states
• motivational states
• emotions
• quasi perceptions

Question 2

sensations

Answer 2

pain, itch, bodily in some way

Question 3

perceptions

Answer 3

colour experiences

Question 4

cognitive/epistemic states

Answer 4

thoughts, beliefs, knowledge, represents how we think the world is.

Question 5

motivational states

Answer 5

intentions, plans, willings. represents how we want the world to be

Question 6

emotions

Answer 6

anger, sadness

Question 7

quasi perceptions

Answer 7

dreams, imagings, apparently but not really

Question 8

properties of a mental states

Answer 8

• intentionality
• qualia

Question 9

intentionality

Answer 9

-a property that all or at least some mental states have.
-this means that they are about something, directed towards something, represents something.
-they therefore have intentional content (intentional object)

Question 10

intentional content/object

Answer 10

where the intentional object of a mental state is the thing it is about or directed towards.

Question 11

intentional properties

Answer 11

non-intrinsic/relational properties of mental states
(i.e. understanding them will require you to talk about how the mental state relates to something else in addition to the mental state itself.

Question 12

qualia

Answer 12

-phenomenal properties that all or at least some mental states have.
-they are intrinsic and non-intentional properties
-they are ‘introspectively accessible’.
- they way it ‘feels’ to be in that mental state
- qualia are not the properties of the object themselves, they are the properties of my experience of those objects

Question 13

intrinsic and non-intentional properties

Answer 13

they are not properties about anything.

Question 14

introspectively accessible

Answer 14

web can know about these properties by direct awareness of them within our own mind

Question 15

phenomenal properties

Answer 15

when a mental state feels or seems a specific way, they have phenomenal properties which determine their phenomenal character.

Question 16

introspection

Answer 16

is the process by which one is directly aware of ones own mid. it is a process by which we can acquire knowledge which is distinct from perception.
- you cannot introspect another persons mind
- you cannot introspect past mental states (you cant know through introspect that you were actually thinking about something yesterday even if you can know through introspection that you currently have a memory of thinking about the specific thing.

Question 17

what does Descartes claim that the properties of the knowledge that introspection gives us has.

Answer 17

• non-inferentially justified
• infallible
  -indubitable
  -incorrigible
  -it is complete

Question 18

non-inferentially justified

Answer 18

not based on other knowledge you have

Question 19

infallible

Answer 19

you cannot make a genuine introspective judgement and be wrong

Question 20

indubitable

Answer 20

you cannot doubt the claims that you make on the basis of introspection

Question 21

incorrigible

Answer 21

no one could ever correct you on your introspective judgements

Question 22

complete

Answer 22

if something is happening within your mind now, then you must now know about it, you are omniscient about your current mental states

Question 23

phenomenal character

Answer 23

• The phenomenal character of an experience is what it is like subjectively to undergo the experience.
• If you are told to focus your attention upon the phenomenal character of your experience, you will find that in doing so you are aware of certain [properties].