Mind, Body and soul - Philosophy

Question 1

Define Materialism

Answer 1

Materialism is the belief only in matter and that all things result in material interaction thus, materialists reject the existence of an immaterial soul.

Question 2

For Plato, how does the soul relate to the realm of the forms?

Answer 2

Through anamnesis.

Question 3

Explain the charioteer analogy?

Answer 3

Plato uses the analogy of a chariot and horses to illustrate his idea that the soul has three related parts. The charioteer represents reason, guiding and directing the horses of appetite and emotion to stop them losing control, for humans prevents us from making irrational decisions.

Question 4

Explain the link between the Charioteer analogy and Philosopher Kings?

Answer 4

Plate uses the charioteer analogy to justify why Philosophers should rule because of their rationality whereas the auxiliaries and workers in society are likened to Emotion and Appetite which are inferior parts of the soul to reason, thus they need supervision by philosophers to prevent them making irrational choices and living hedonistic lives.

Question 5

How can we critic Plato linking the Charioteer analogy to Philosopher kings?

Answer 5

We can see reflections of Marxism in Plato's theory as this is partially imitated in the bourgeoise structures of society. 
Furthermore, Plato make a logical contradiction by suggesting that there are fixed hierarchies . 
This undermines the slave boy's ability to reason in the Arguments of Knowledge, as it implies that even with reason the slave boy is still confined to a lower class position in society.

Question 6

Limits to the argument from Knowledge?

Answer 6

• ” through questioning” suggestive that the slave boy obtaining knowledge is not down to the existence of an immaterial should that had undergone anamnesis but rather the Socratic method a practice of teaching.

Question 7

Explain the arguments from Knowledge?

Answer 7

In his text Meno, a slave boy with no education is given geometry puzzle to solve. Through questioning, the boy is able to work out the
answer to the problem which, to Plato proved that the boy must have been using knowledge that he already had, before birth.
Plato felt that our intuitions were evidence of knowledge attained before birth. This, to Plato, showed that our souls had once lived in the
World of the Forms.

Question 8

Explain the arguments from opposites?

Answer 8

• opposites like ‘big’ and ‘small’ have a casual relationship relative to each other.

Plato used this reasoning to conclude that therefore life must come from death, and death must come from life in an endless chain of birth and death. He argues that there must be something that can survive death in order to cause life – for Plato this thing is the soul.

Question 9

How does Aristotle’s view on the soul link to telos?

Answer 9

The soul is that which gives matter its form, efficiency and telos.

The soul is not an invisible thing, it is part of the matter and structure of our body, however, It is not just matter, but, contains all the capabilities and characteristics that thing needs in order to achieve its telos.

Question 10

Outline Aristotle’s 3 variations of the soul?

Answer 10

Plants: Vegetative or nutritive soul – the capacity to get nourishment for themselves & ensure reproduction of species
Animals: Perceptive souls - Senses in which to experience the world. Can distinguish pleasure and pain
Humans: Intellectual soul - Higher degree of soul because they have the ability to reason and tell right from wrong

Question 11

Describe the Wax analogy?

Answer 11

Aristotle used the analogy of a wax stamp to illustrate that the soul and the body are intertwined and cannot be separated, just like once the wax has been stamped, it is not possible to remove the imprint. For this reason it is difficult for Aristotle to argue that the soul can survive after bodily death.

Question 12

What school of thought does Aristotle belong to?

Answer 12

Monist

Question 13

Define Hyperbolic doubt?

Answer 13

Descartes sought to answer ‘What if anything, can I know for certain’.
Descartes is searching for a suitable foundation for the edifice of Knowledge.

Question 14

In what book does Plato present his theory of the Charioteer?

Answer 14

Phaedo

Question 15

In what book does Plato present his theory of the arguments form Knowledge and Opposites?

Answer 15

Menno

Question 16

In what book does Descartes present his views on the soul?

Answer 16

Meditations

Question 17

Why does Descartes think we cannot trust our senses? ( Wax example )

Answer 17

Through the use of the wax example, Descartes is able to explain the significance of changes and how our senses and our minds tell us two different things. in the end, it is our mind that is able to truly see the platonic essence of asking and be able to identify it. our senses have the ability to deceive us, making our minds the most reliable.

Question 18

Why does Descartes think we cannot trust our senses? ( SL- Plato )

Answer 18

Descartes agrees that a posteriori only leads to provisional knowledge as it communicates to us something that might later change. Descartes much like Plato acknowledge the state of motos in the world so you can never communicate certain truth via empiricism. he looks beyond this and follows rationalism.

Question 19

How does the quote “ I think therefore I am” cogito ergo sum, link to the soul?

Answer 19

He argues that because he is a thinking being, in some
form his mind must exist.

Descartes concludes that the mind is different, and he is certain that it exists. He argues that if his senses are being deceived, or
if he is in a dream, or if he is being deceived by an evil demon, he in some way has to exist. This is where we reach potentially the most
famous of all philosophical conclusions: cogito ergo sum “I think therefore I am”.

Question 20

What does Gilbert Ryle mean when by “category error”?

Answer 20

misuse of semantics, mischaracterisation as the brain

Ryle argues that historically, when people did not know better they categorised things like personality, behaviour and
character as: the soul but, now we know more about the neuroscience it is clear that a mischaracterisation has been made and instead
these things should be categorised as the brain. Ryle argues that people today who say that they have a soul are incorrect because they
are employing a distinction that is a misuse of semantics.

Question 21

Why does Dawkins say there is no soul?

Answer 21

Dawkins: Dawkins believes that there is no non-physical part of a person and that consciousness cannot be separated from the
brain because matter is all that exists.
Humans are nothing more than survival machines

Question 22

Describe Dawkins soul 1 and 2 ?

Answer 22

Soul one is the viewpoint
which claims that the soul is a distinctive spiritual and supernatural part of a person, capable of knowing God and surviving bodily death.
Soul 2 refers to a more
Aristotelian understanding of the soul which refers to someone’s personality and individuality.

Question 23

What synoptic link can be made with Dawkins soul 1?

Answer 23

Freud and Wish fulfilment

Question 24

How does Aristotle describe the soul?

Answer 24

Aristotle claimed that although our body is in a constant state of motos, our substance remains the same in terms of continuing identity.
This continuing substance, or essence, is what Aristotle understood to be the soul.