Philosophy Body And Soul Flashcards
Substance Dualism
The idea that there are TWO ASPECTS to human beings, PHYSICAL and MENTAL
The MENTAL may be defined as the SOUL
Materialism
The idea that human beings are MADE UP OF PHYSICAL MATTER alone
Plato View on the Soul
Plato argued the SOUL is MORE IMPORTANT than the BODY
Soul Enables us to HAVE KNOWLEDGE
He believed The Soul is IMMORTAL and CANNOT BE DIVIDED
It is UNCHANGING and CAPABLE of KNOWLEDGE
Soul Characteristics Plato
Unchanging
Eternal
Non-physical
Possesses Knowledge
Simple-cannot be divided
Plato View on the Body
For Plato the Body is part of the EMPIRICAL WORLD and like all OBJECTS is SUBJECT TO CHANGE
This means it cannot be a RELIABLE GUIDE to TRUTH
The body allows us to GAIN OPINIONS via OUR SENSES
The body DISTRACTS US from our REAL PURPOSE ;PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT
Body Characteristics Plato
Changes
Temporal (Not eternal)
Physical
Gives Rise to Opinions
Made up of PARTS ( CAN be DIVIDED)
Inner Workings of the Soul -Plato
Plato stated that there were THREE ASPECTS of the SOUL
REASON SPIRIT and APPETITE/DESIRE
Inner Workings of the Soul /Tri-Partire View Analogy
Plato Creates the Analogy of CHARIOTEER in Charge of TWO HORSES
One of the Horses BEHAVES the other DOES NOT
The soul works best when the CHARIOTEER ( REASON) is in CHARGE
The Horses often PULL in DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS
Our APPETITE/DESIRE can lead us to UNHELPFUL THINGS
The SPIRIT needs to be DETERMINED to do the RIGHT THING
Plato Stated that a GOOD PERSON is someone who’s SOUL is BALANCED with REASON IN CHARGE
Soul:Past Present Future
Soul in the PAST was in the WORLD OF THE FORMS so it has the KNOWLEDGE of the FORMS before being PULLED TO EARTH BY APPETITE
In PRESENT soul is INCARNATED in the BODY and EXPERIENCES the Conflict between Soul and Body
Plato Describes the BODY as a PRISON for the SOUL
In the FUTURE, the SOUL will be LIBERATED from the BODY and RETURN TO THE FORMS or REINCARNATE to another BODY
Aristotle View on Soul and Body
Aristotle REJECTED Plato’s SUBSTANCE DUALISM
He believed the Soul and Body were NOT SEPARATE
For Aristotle the SOUL is the ESSENCE of our BODY
The SOUL is a FORM of the BODY
Therefore the TWO can NOT BE DIVIDED: The Body is ESSENTIAL TO US
The SOUL is the FORMAL CAUSE of the BODY
Aristotle Reasoning for Criticism Against Plato :Soul and Body
Aristotle Reasoning Comes from his understanding of the Forms
For Aristotle-a FORM Is a PROPERTY POSSESSED by SOMETHING
While for PLATO it is NOT ADDITIONAL to the OBJECT
Aristotle Soul and Body Eye Analogy
Aristotle suggest that if the BODY was an EYE
The SOUL would be its ABILITY TOO SEE
FOR Aristotle he is explaining how THERE CAN BE NO SOUL PRESENT without the BODY
Aristotle Hierarchy of Being
Everything living has a SOUL according to Aristotle
The Human Soul is made up of an IRRATIONAL PART and RATIONAL PART
IRRATIONAL- VEGETATIVE ELEMENT and APPETITIVE ELEMENT
RATIONAL PART-REASON
Aristotle Hierarchy of Being-Plants
Plants only have the VEGETATIVE ELEMENT which give them the ABILITY TO GAIN NUTRITION.
Aristotle Hierarchy of Being-Animals
Animals Have the VEGETATIVE ELEMNT as well as the APPETITIVE ELEMENT
Which INVOLVES MOVEMENT and DESIRE
Aristotle Hierarchy of Being-Human Beings
Human Souls have the ABILITY TO REASON
this is the RATIONAL PART of the SOUL-SEPARATES HUMANS from ANIMALS
Aristotle and AFTERLIFE
“The soul is inseparable from the body”
Does not BELIVE in After-life
Descartes
French Philosopher
Regarded as the Father of Modern Philosophy
Descartes Doubting the body and proving the soul
Descartes argues that we can DOUBT ALL things including whether a BODY IS REAL OR NOT: his REASONING FOR THIS is through TWO STATEMENTS
SENSES can sometimes be UNRELIABLE: What if they were always Unreliable
It is OFTEN hard to know the DIFFERENCE between DREAMING and BEING AWAKE
Proving that it is POSSIBLE TO DOUBT EVERYTHING INCLUDING THE BODY
Descartes -Cogito
“I THINK THEREFORE I AM”
Descartes uses this quote to PROVE that it is IMPOSSIBLE TO DOUBT His EXISTENCE
Descartes:Body and Soul
Descartes argues that because there are DIFFERENCES BETWEEN the SOUL and BODY
This means that the EXISTENCE of the MIND is INDEPENDENT of the BODY
Leibniz Law Soul and Body
If two OBJECTS are IDENTICAL they have to have the SAME PROPERTIES.
If OBJECT A and OBJECT B do not have the EXACT SAME PROPERTIES
Then they must be DIFFERENT
Descartes APLLYS THIS to SOUL AND BODY
The Difference Between Soul And Body Descartes
The ESSENCE of the MIND is NON-PHYSICAL THOUGHT
while the ESSENCE of the BODY is EXTENSION of PHYSICAL SPACE
He argues they CANNOT BE THE SAME THING
Materialism Beliefs
BELIVE that CONSCIOUSNESS can be EXPLAINED by PHYSICAL or MATERIAL INTERACTIONS.
REJECT the IDEA of THE SOUL as a SEPARATE SUBSTANCE
Richard Dawkins
British Biologist and Evolutionist
Richard Dawkins Belief on Soul
Argued that a SOUL is a MYTHOLOGICAL CONCEPT invented by ANCIENTS to EXPLAIN MYSTERIES OF CONSCIOUSNESS
See it as a CONVENIENT EXPLANATION for CONSCIOUS
Richard Dawkins on Plato’s Soul
REJECTS PLATONIC IDEA of the SOUL but accept that it CAN be USED METAPHORICALLY
AS LONG AS WE DO NOT REFER TO it as a REAL TERM
Richard Dawkins 2 Terms For Soul
Dawkins had 2 TERMS To ILLUSTRATE DIFFERENCE between the SOUL
TERM 1- TRADITIONAL Idea of the PRINCIPLE OF LIFE a SEPARATE thing that CONTAINS our PERSONALITY - DAWKINS states that this VIEW IS TO BE REJECTED
TERM2- Defined in DICTIONARY as INTELLECTUAL OR SPIRITUAL POWER. Higher DEVELOPMENT of MENTAL FACULTIES- This is NOT A SEPARATE THING from the BRAIN
Gilbert Ryle view on Descartes Substance Dualism
Gilbert Ryle REJECTS this idea of the MIND BEING EITHER PHYSICAL OR NON-PHYSICAL
He ARGUES that there there is nothing EXTRA just HUMAN BEHAVIOUR which CAN BE ANALYSED BY SCIENCE
Categorical Error
A problem in Philosophy where SOMETHING is THOUGHT and TALKED ABOUT in the WRONG WAY ; belongs to a DIFFERENT CATEGORY OF THING
Gilbert Ryle View on Descartes -Categorical Error
Ryle ARGUED Descartes commits a CATEGORICAL ERROR with the DESCARTES DEFINITION of The SOUL.
Believing DESCARTES and other DUALISTS are thinking of the MIND in the WRONG WAY
Gilbert Ryle View on Descartes -Categorical Error University Example
Imagine a FOREIGN VISITOR to CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY.
He is SHOWN the LIBRARIES PLAYING FIELDS MUSEUMS and ACCOMMODATION OFFICES.
But he ASKS ‘WHERE IS THE UNIVERSITY ITSELF
Ryle ARGUES that this is THE SAME MISTAKE DESCARTES MAKES with the MIND/SOUL- ASSUMING there is SOMETHING EXTRA
Extra Scholar - Susan Blackmore Beliefs on Soul/Body
Researcher of OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCES
REJECTS the IDEA THAT OUR CONSCIOUSNESS is NON-PHYSICAL
BELIEVED THAT the CONTENT OF OUR MIND can be EXPLAINED by CULTURAL IDEAS that are PASSED DOWN BY EVOLUTION
Plato Arguments FOR DUALISM-Innate Knowledge
Plato argues the SOUL is REQUIRED to EXPLAIN A-PRIORI KNOWLEDGE-SPECIFICALLY INNATE KNOWLEDGE
He uses example of the UNEDUCATED SLAVE BOY - who when PROMPTED WITH ENCOURAGEMENT IS able to DO GEOMETRIC QUESTIONS
PLATO ARGUES that this EXAMPLE represents our INNATE UNDERSTANDING OF THE FORMS ,proving our SOUL PRE-EXISTS OUR BODY
Descartes Argument FOR Substance Dualism Leibniz Law
Descartes uses Leibniz Law to prove this- if there is Any DIFFERENCE between SOUL and BODY, then DUALISM must be true
Descartes Argument FOR Substance Dualism -Divisibilty
The BODY is DIVISIBLE-Can be SEPARATED into PARTS
While the MIND is INDIVISIBLE -it is not POSSIBLE TO SEPARATE
Descartes Argument FOR Substance Dualism -Doubt
For DESCARTES it is POSSIBLE to DOUBT the EXISTENCE OF THE BODY
BUT the COGITO proves you cannot DOUBT THE MIND/SOUL
Descartes Argument FOR Substance Dualism DIVISIBLE COUNTER
Can be Argued the PEOPLE WITH SPLIT -PERSONALITY DISORDER
Have DIVISIBLE MIND/ CONSCIOUSNESS
Descartes Argument FOR Substance Dualism -Doubt Counter ‘Masked man fallacy’
It may be possible to doubt your FATHER IS MASJED ROBBER
AND IMPOSSIBLE TO DOUBT he is MARRIED TO YOUR MOTHER
THIS DOES NOT MEAN IT CANNOT BE TRUE
Just being ABLE TO DOUBT Is NOT a PROPERTY of the THING itself it is the PROPERTY of OUR MIND
Evaluating Materialism Case AGAINST Soul-Neuroscience
Neuroscience-a branch of studies on the BRAIN
Have in fact SHOWN which PARTS OF THE BRAIN are RESPONSIBLE for EMOTION MEMORY and LANGUAGE
STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS affected by BRAIN CHEMISTRY; E.G Depression treated by MEDICINE ALTERS CHEMISTRY
Evaluating Materialism Case AGAINST Soul-Problem of Interaction
One Problem with DUALISM
How can a NON-PHYSICAL MIND/SOUL INTERACT with a PHYSICAL BODY/BRAIN
INCOMPATIBLE SUBSTANCES ;E.G GHOST RIDING a BIKE Could not APPLY PRESSURE to PEDALS-
HOW could a NON-PHYSICAL SOUL Bring about ACTION TO OUR BRAIN
Ockham’s Razor
The Philosophical Principle that ‘you should not multiply entities beyond necessity’
It is usually the SIMPLEST EXPLANATION that is the BEST
Evaluating Materialism Case AGAINST Soul-Simplicity
Materialist Argue that CONSCIOUSNESS being EXPLAINED by PHYSICAL and MATERIAL EVENTS in the BRAIN - is the SIMPLEST EXPLANATION
THEY Derive this from OCKHAM’S RAZOR
