Self and Life after death Flashcards
who had a materialist monist view
Aristotle
what was Aristotles view
all human life had a soul
soul principle of life- essence form of the body, couldn’t function without body
human soul alone - capable of rational thought to develop moral and intellectual capacity
1 part of soul immortal
Analysis of Aristotles view - 2
1 church - death of body doesn’t mean death of soul
does place emphasis on body - physical ressurection 1 corth 15
2 appeals to scientists who don’t see need for spirit
strength of Aristotles view
based on what you can see so people can believe
dual aspect monism
1.claims human is one entity which is unknown
2. mind and matter two aspects of one
3. soft materialism - humans are 1 entity - body and soul/ mind the two are inextricably linked
4. brain is physical consists of subjective consciousness. relates quail something can’t be reduced to chemical processes in the brain
5. physical and immaterial as important inter related aspects of the identity of the human being
analysis on dual aspect monism
1 seen to solve problems of dualism and hard materialism allows for survival of self in some way
2. process theology - objective immortality everyone experiences be remembered forever in mind of God - rules out personal survival of death
3. other christians see resurrected body and soul
physicalism mean
everything can be explained in terms if matter
mind is one
no such thing as soul
reductionist view - everything can be reduced down to physical cause
functionalism
type of physicalism
the mind is the function of the brain that processes information from sense experience generates an appropriate response may be possible in feature to access someone mind and upload it onto computer
who had a hard materialist and functionalist view
Dawkins
what was Dawkins view - 6
1 rejects concept of immortal soul
2 humans are survival machines a triumph of evolution life summed up in bytes of digital information
3 Body carrier of DNA purpose and ensure survival of itself selfish gene
4 humans exist for gene preservation
only way we survive death is in DNA we pass on
5 allows soul to refer to higher intellectual power can’t be separated from brain
6 insists there is no meaning to life other than preservation of genes
what is Dawkins conclusion
evolution won’t develop like it has
evolution of consciousness been removed needs for gene replications a meme
what is a meme
unit of cultural ideas, symbols or practises can be transmitted from one mind to other some would say it is similar to concept of soul
analysis of Dawkins
- highly derminist
- consicenosness differenti to brain
- makes sweeping statements not objectively true argument about memes unscientific
who accused descarte of making a critical error
what was the analogy
Gilbert Ryle
analogy of been shown round Cambridge uni
argued d had confused functioning of a physical Brian and body with ghost in machine
a machine does not work because of a ghost within it. neither does body live because it has a mind
who challenged Descartes argument
Hume
what did Hume say
since the soul is not located space how do we know there is one
idea of self as an illusion there is thinking but no I that thinks
body soul relationship according to Descartes interactionsm - 2
1locates soul in pineal glans
location of imagination and common sense - a link body and mind
part of brain unknown
2. body and mind are interact cause events happe in each other