Philosophy & Ethics - Soul, Body and, Mind Flashcards
what is the mind body problem?
- questioning what it means to be human
- metaphysical question about human existence, are we just physical or are we something more?
what is meant by the term “dualist”
- A separate mind and body
- the body can change but the soul doesn’t
what is meant by the term “monist”
- A body which has a mind
- you cant have them separate
what is meant by “materialism”
- only a body with the mind explained in physical terms
what does Plato teach about the soul in the theory of the forms?
Plato believes that the soul is trapped in the body of the Realm of appearances. After death, the soul is set free and returns to the Realm of the forms.
is Plato a Monist, Materialist or a Dualist?
Dualist
- he believes that the body imprisons the soul and that the soul must break free!
What is the Chariot Allegory and who was it proposed by?
- The Chariot Allegory was proposed by Plato.
- An allegory describing the soul’s struggle to pursue goodness and truth
What does the white horse represent in the Chariot Allegory?
- the white horse represents rationality, self control and moral excellence.
- this horse is immortal, beautiful and noble.
what does the black horse represent in the Chariot Allegory?
- represents passions and desires, characterized as wild and unruly
- mortal, deformed, stubborn, driven by appetite
- (your personal motivation/self interest
What does the Charioteer represent in the Chariot Allegory?
- symbolises rationality and reason, guiding the soul to its highest form of goodness
what does psyche mean?
self
what is the aim of the chariot allegory?
for all three to work together and work in harmony, the job of the charioteer is to use his wisdom to reach this aim. Once this aim is reached, the soul is closer to the Realm of the forms, where it belongs.
What does Aristotle view the soul as?
- a substance, by which he means a persons essence.
- the physical body is in a state of change but the substance remains the same, giving a person continual identity.
what is the continual identity according to Aristotle?
The soul
what is a quote that Aristotle says that supports his ideas, and what does this mean?
” living is the being of things, and the soul is the cause and principle of this”
- Aristotle is saying that the soul is the defining essence of all living things, enabling life, functions, and purpose. it is distinct from the body but provides its form and final cause.
what is Aristotle’s analogy about the axe saying?
- Aristotle uses the analogy of the axe to explain the relationship between the soul and the body, saying that if the body were an axe, the soul would be its ability to chop, if the capability to cut is gone, the identity is gone.
- he believed that the soul is inseparable from the body and cannot survive death.
what does Aristotle’s analogy of the eye mean?
- sight is the soul (psyche) of the eye, or would be if it were an animal
- if it can no longer see, then it ceases to exist
what does Aristotle’s analogy of the wax mean?
- without the stamp it is nothing and has no purpose
- need both the stamper and the wax to be able to work, they cannot work without each other. This is the same for the body and the mind.
would Aristotle believe the soul continued after death?
- Aristotle is clear that the soul cannot be separated from the body and therefore when the body dies, the soul dies with it. This emphasises how he is a property dualist.
what is meant by property dualism?
- Aristotle’s views often switch between dualism and monism
- property dualism is often the view that there is only one kind of substance, matter.
what does Richard Dawkins believe about the soul?
- hard materialist who believes there is only the physical
- he makes a distinction between 2 versions of the soul
soul : dualist, religious idea of a separate soul. This is rejected by a primitive superstition.
soul 2: intellectual, spiritual power with developed moral facilities, eg consciousness, feeling and imagination.
- Dawkins believes in soul 2 and that your only purpose is to survive.
what is meant by the term, “substance Dualism”?
mind/soul and body are two separate entities
what is meant by soft materialism and hard materialism?
soft materialism: only physical substances, but some can develop mental properties within physical
hard materialism: only physical matter exists, there is no mental
What is Rene Descartes famous quote - include evaluation
” I think, therefore I am”
(cogito ergo sum)
- means that a person cannot doubt their own existence because they are the one doing the doubting
what did Descartes believe about the senses?
- the senses, like sight, can be tricked or incorrect, so they cant be trusted to provide the truth
- ## the only certainty he could prove was his ability to think, which proved his existence
what is the Latin phrase for, “I think, therefore I am”
” cogito ergo sum”
what are the 3 waves (things that Descartes can be certain of)
wave 1: senses and illustrations
wave 2: dreaming
wave 3: the evil demon
what does Descartes believe is the evil mastermind?
- there could be an evil demon tricking me about everything I physically experience so I cannot trust anything physical
what does Gilbert Ryle support?
Materialism
What was Gilbert Ryle criticising in his book, “the concept of the mind”?
dualism, in particular Descartes, but also the ideas proposed by Plato
what does Gilbert Ryle claim dualism commited?
- a category error because it tries to treat the mind/soul and the body are two separate things when they are not logically in those categories
- Ryle is rejecting the idea that this is a separate part of being human
- believes that everything is just matter/substance
- you are one entity
doesn’t believe that there is a soul
Skinner and Behaviourism.
Behaviourism is a psychological approach to explain the human consciousness.
- Behaviourists are reductionists
- based on a series of experiments and observations
what is meant by the term, “reductionist”?
the belief that all mental actions are reducible to physical explanations, therefore being a materialist stance to the mind-body problem
what is a famous quote stated by skinner? - evaluate
” what is felt or observed is not a nonphysical world of consciousness, but the observers own body”
- feelings are the result of bodily processes
- the belief that I am sad is not the property of a mental substance
- believing is something that the body does
how does Dennett criticise Skinner?
- criticises Skinners theory for being too reductive
- claims that skinners theory is too simplistic, - just because something is hard to explain, does not mean we should settle for an unsatisfactory explanation
