property dualism Flashcards
What is property dualism?
Property dualism is the view that some minds have non-physical properties and that a complete physical description of the universe would miss out on qualia.
Define qualia.
Qualia are intrinsic (and non-intentional) phenomenal properties that are introspectively accessible.
What are examples of qualia?
- The redness I experience when I look at a ripe tomato
- The taste of beer when I have a drink
- The rough feeling when I run my hand over some sandpaper
What is phenomenal knowledge?
Knowledge of what it is like to have a certain experience.
What does supervenience mean?
X supervenes on Y if a change in Y is necessary for a change in X.
How does property dualism differ from physicalism?
Property dualism allows for the possibility that two physically identical things could have different mental properties, while physicalism says they must be the same.
What is interactionism?
Interactionist dualism is the view that the mind can interact with the physical world and vice versa.
What is epiphenomenalism?
Epiphenomenalist dualism states that the physical world can cause mental states, but mental states cannot cause changes in the physical world.
How do epiphenomenalists view qualia?
Epiphenomenalists see qualia as by-products of brain activity that do not cause anything.
What is a philosophical zombie?
A philosophical zombie is a being that is physically and functionally identical to a human but lacks qualia.
What argument does David Chalmers use to support property dualism?
The conceivability of philosophical zombies leads to the argument that if they are conceivable and metaphysically possible, then qualia are non-physical.
True or False: Physicalists argue that philosophical zombies are conceivable.
False
What is Frank Jackson’s knowledge argument involving Mary?
Mary learns all physical facts about color but does not know what it feels like to see color, suggesting non-physical knowledge exists.
What are the three kinds of knowledge mentioned in the knowledge argument?
- Ability knowledge
- Acquaintance knowledge
- Propositional knowledge
What is the ability hypothesis in response to the knowledge argument?
Mary gains new ability knowledge when she first sees red, rather than non-physical knowledge.
What is the acquaintance hypothesis in the knowledge argument?
Mary gains knowledge by acquaintance with redness when she sees it for the first time.
Fill in the blank: According to the knowledge argument, Mary does not know what it feels like to see _______.
color
What is the ‘new knowledge, old fact’ argument?
Mary learns a different way of understanding the same fact about color when she sees it.
What is one objection to Jackson’s argument regarding Mary?
Mary would already know what it’s like to see red if she truly knew all physical facts about it.
What problems does property dualism face?
- Introspective self-knowledge issues
- Claims about qualia having no causal powers
What intuition is discussed regarding Mary and the experience of seeing red?
The intuition that Mary wouldn’t know what it’s like to see red is just that – an intuition.
What is a significant issue for property dualism related to epiphenomenal dualism?
It targets the epiphenomenalist claim that qualia have no causal powers.
What problem arises from the claim that qualia and mental states have no causal powers?
It raises the issue of how we know about our own mental states.
How does epiphenomenalism explain the apparent causal effects of qualia?
It states that the brain causes both qualia and behavior.
