Property Dualism (Jackson) Flashcards
What is the Goal of Frank Jackson?
Physicalism is false, any theory that depicts the world as entirely physical is false
Does Jackson offer explicit proof or a deductive logical conclusion as to why physicalism is false?
no
Who offers a intuition pump?
Frank Jackson
Does Jackson admit that he could be wrong?
yes but very improbable he is
What Argument does Frank Jackson Introduce?
The Knowledge Argument
Briefly Describe the knowledge argument
-Mary raised in black and white room
-has access to everything there is to know about color red in the physical world
-learns all the physical facts about red
-then released into the world and sees red for the first time
DID MARY LEARN ANYTHING WHEN SHE SEEN THE COLOUR RED FOR THE FIRST TIME
According to Jackson did Mary learn anything when she seen the color red for the first time?
yes, even if she knew absolutely everything about the color red she still would have learnt something therefore even if she had physically known everything about red, she was not able to capture the sensation (quaila) of seeing red
Clarifying the Argument (missing)
What are is Paul Churchland’s 1st objection
Paul rewords the knowledge argument in the following way
1) Mary knows everything there is to know about brain states and there properties (DESCRIPTION)
2) ~Mary knows everything that there is to know about sensations and their properties (ACQUAINTANCE)
3) Therefore, sensations and their properties are not equal to brain states and their properties
What was Churchlands 1st objection about in lay terms
Jackson is actually using the term KNOWLEDGE in two different ways.
Knowledge by DESCRIPTION
Knowledge by ACQUAINTANCE
What is Jackson Reply to Churchland’s 1st Objection?
That was Churchland 1st criticism is misleading. Jackson argument has nothing to do with types of knowledge, the fact is she does not know everything before release. Still does not have complete knowledge.
The knowledge argument can be clarified further by:
1) Mary before her release knows everything physical there is to know about other people
2) Mary before her release does not know everything there is to know about other people
3) Therefore there are truths about other people (and herself) which escape the physicalist theory
What was Churchland’s 2nd Objection
The knowledge argument is too strong and therefore apply it to dualism and about the dualist teaching the laws of quail. Upon her release she still would’ve learnt something
What was Jackson’s response to Churchland’s 2nd objection
Churchland is mistaken, the dualist admits they can’t tell her everything and shouldn’t expect dualists should. Jackson is confused then what the dualist argues
What was Jackson’s response to help Churchland’s 2nd objection
they would have to change the first premise:
1) Mary before her release knows everything of the dualist sort about other people
However, this isn’t plausible because the dualist would deny that you can capture all the physical stuff by lecture and rather they dont think you can describe everything physically
What is Churchland’s 3rd objection?
That there is a chance that Mary with all her physical information could figure out what it is like to see the color red
What was Jackson’s response to help Churchland’s 3rd objection
What Mary can or cannot imagine is irrelevant. Imagination has nothing to do but rather than what she knows
Lets grant her the imagination of red (she’s still going to learn something when she gets release)
fill in the blanks for a quote from Jackson regarding his objection to Churchland’s 3rd criticism:
“If her knowledge is defective, despite being all there is to know according to ____, whatever her powers of imagination.” -Jackson
physicalism then physicalism is false
What does Jackson determine there to be left?
~physicalism
Fill in the quote by Jackson:
“Nothing you could tell of the ______captures the smell of a rose, for instance. Therefore, _______.” (Jackson Epiphenomenal Qualia 127)
1) physical sort
2)physicalism is false
Does the knowledge prove Descartes Dualism correct?
no he’s still sort of right and wrong
what are properties properties of?
some thing
what is weight, height, shape?
These are properties of our bodies
and what category of properties are weight, height, shape?
physical properties
What problem does the Knowledge argument generate?
how do we categorize everything
Who does Jackson agree and disagree with?
Jackson agrees with Ryle and disagree with smart and Descartes
Why does Jackson not agree with Descartes?
That the mind is a thing, but rather mental states are properties of the brain
What does Jackson think physicalist got wrong?
that there is no dualism
What theory does Jackson adhere too?
Property Dualism
Fill in this quote:
Property Dualism is the theory of mind that maintains ______________
that while mental phenomena are caused by physical phenomena, mental properties are ontologically irreducible and not physical
what does ontologically irreducible mean?
something that explains itself and can’t be reduced into something else
What is the distinction between property dualist and substance dualist?
Substance dualist: two kinds of substance (mind/non-physical and body/ physical)
Property Dualist: two kinds of properties and one substance (just body (substance) but brains have two kinds of properties physical and non physical mental states0
according to property dualism are mental state caused by brain states
yes but mental is not physical
according to the property dualist what is the relationship between mind and body?
mental states emerge from physical states
what are emergent properties?
the idea that sometimes physical stuff is arranged that properties emerge from them if they were arranged differently.
what can be example used for emergent properties?
liquidty can easily be liquid from the underlining of physical events and structure but if what underlined from others it could also be solid so too are mental states
According to the property dualist what happens when you attempt to to reduce mental?
you leave something else
what is the problem with property dualism
mental causation
How does PD answer mental causation
Epiphenomenalism
Epiphenominalism is ___________________________
Is a Form of Property Dualism
1) Mental phenomena immerges from physical states
2) The mental phenomena are causally ineffectatious (inert)
What is lay terms for Epiphenomenalism
mental states dont have an impact on the physical world
Hunger does not cause someone to eat lunch (thirst never cause you to get a glass of water
Pain does not cause someone to pull away (pain doesn’t do anything
Finish this quote by Jackson: “No matter how often B follows A, and no matter how initially obvious the causality of the connections seems, the hypothesis that A causes B can be overturned by an over-arching theory which shows the two as distinct effects of a common underlying causal process… The epiphenomenalist can say exactly the same about the connection between, for example ________ __________. It is simply a consequence of the fact that certain happenings in the brains cause both.” (Jackson Epiphenomenal Qualia 133)
hurtfulness and behaviour
What is the one criticism offered for the knowledge argument that wasn’t proposed by Churchland?
The objection: But it actually isnt knowledge that she gains, she doesn’t gain knowledge, but Jackson is right she does gain something. Instead she learns an ability, she knows now how to imagine red, how it is represented to her etc.. but strictly speaking that is not knowledge but rather an ability and skill. There is a difference between propositional knowledge and
What was Jacksons reply to the FURTHER CRITICISM?
Says well the critique is correct and what makes the critique rather appealing she does in fact pick up a an ability BUT also gains knowledge
Keep everything the same but now imagine before she is released she takes a philosophy course that is specific in the area of skepticsm, that is arguments for why we cant know anything, and she is given classical arguments about why we dont really have knowledge, now release her just after that lecture. Walks out see red and think about a very plausible scenario she’s going to think she learnt something but now will hesitate whether she actually knows anything. Then decides slept is wrong and she really does know things but when she hesitates about the knowledge WHAT IS SHE WORRIED ABOUT is she worried about her abilities or her KNOWLEDGE and whether she gained knowledge and not her capacity to do something. She is worried about knowledge.
Does Jackson still maintain that physicalism is false?
no at the beginning he did but now he states that it is high plausible to be false
Do we need proofs to establish conclusions
no
What is the first Criticism toward Epiphenomenalism?
Nomological Danglers are present
Finish this quote: “They do nothing, they explain nothing, they serve merely to soothe the intuitions of ___…”
dualists
“They do nothing, they explain nothing, they serve merely to soothe the intuitions of dualists…”
Who said this quote?
Jackson
What is the second criticism towards Epiphenomenalism?
Intentional Agency
Epiphenomenalism denies any causal role and therefore must deny our role to have intentional agency
What is third criticism towards Epiphenomenalism?
According to Epiph. quailia are inert and dont have causal powers
but thinking is a series of mental states over time, that string together things
Epiph. would have to deny what we already seem to know through T1 cannot cause a thought at another T2
