Soul, Mind and Body Flashcards
Dualism
Belief in two separate elements (body and soul)
Substance Dualism
Two elements (body and soul) are wholly different substances
Psyche
Greek word for mind / soul
Materialism
There is one substance and it is material
Monism
One substance not two
Reductionism
Everything can be reduced to statements about physical bodies, although this can be criticised - is it too simplistic?
Behaviourism
All mental states are simply learned behaviours
What did Plato look for?
Something permanent and certain. He believed that if permanence cannot be found in this material world, then it must exist in another world
What did Plato believe about the soul?
That the soul lives forever with no beginning or end
How does Plato describe the soul in his book ‘Phaedo’?
- immortal
- divine
- intelligible (understandable)
- uniform (constant)
- indissoluble (permanent)
- unchangeable
- eternal
- perfect
What are the 3 parts of the soul according to Plato?
- rational
- appetitive
- spirited
Rational part of the soul (Plato)
Intellectual / thinking. This is the part which is seeking truth and takes control of the irrational parts to live a virtuous life.
Appetitive part of the soul (Plato)
This is the body’s needs (e.g., greed)
Spirited part of the soul (Plato)
This is our will / virtues (e.g., courage). It is our personality traits
What metaphor for the 3 parts of the soul does Plato use?
The idea of the charioteer in his book ‘Phaedrus’
What is the charioteer metaphor used by Plato to describe the 3 parts of the soul?
- The charioteer is the one in charge in control of the chariot - this is the rational element of the soul.
- The white horse is the spirited element. Virtues such as courage leads the rational to Noeton (the other world)
- The black horse is the appetitive, shows bodily needs, dies with the body
- all 3 parts of the soul are in conflict
Who was Plato’s charioteer metaphor really inspirational to and why?
Sigmund Freud, because it shows your personality. E.g., if you’re really uptight, then the horses will be too tightly strung etc. When the balance of your soul is perfectly in line, everything runs smoothly.
How did Plato approach the body?
He was extremely negative about it
Plato quote about the body
‘The body is the source of endless trouble’
What are the 4 reasons Plato gives as to why he has complete disdain for the body (other than it being a prison for our souls)?
- requirement of food (constantly holds back your body in the quest for knowledge)
- fills us with loves and lusts (the body constantly distracts us)
- fears and endless foolery (can’t think straight in fight or flight mode)
- diseases (the physical body is constantly holding back the soul from finding out the true knowledge)
How are the body and the cave in Plato’s analogy of the Cave linked?
The body is a prison to our soul, just as the cave was the prison in the analogy
Strengths of Plato’s ideas about the soul
- major influence on Christian thought with his views on immortality of the soul
- later ideas of reincarnation are similar to eastern religious notions of rebirth
- helps to explain the individuality of people (links with Freud’s id, ego and super-ego)
Weaknesses of Plato’s ideas about the soul
- a problem arises because all 3 elements are seen as necessary. If the soul is free when the body dies, what happens to the appetitive part which is connected to the body? Is the soul no longer complete? What happens to the soul if it loses 1/3 of itself every time the body dies? Isn’t the soul perfect and unchanging?
Give a supporter of Plato
Descartes
What type of materialist / dualist was Descartes?
He was a substance dualist
Is Descartes a rationalist or empiricist?
Rationalist
What is the only one certain piece of knowledge according to Descartes?
The Cogito
What does the Cogito refer to?
The thinking mind
Famous Descartes quote and what it means
‘I think therefore I am’ = The only thing you can be 100% certain about is your thinking mind. Is any of what we see real? We don’t know what anyone else is thinking. Is this all still a dream?
What does substance dualism mean?
That body and soul are wholly separate substances
Why did Descartes believe in substance dualism?
He argued that you can take away from the body constantly, but your mind is still whole. He believed that your body can be affected, but your mind will stay the same.
How may someone respond to Descartes’ view that your body can be affected, but your mind will remain the same?
They may argue that your body and mind are very closely linked, e.g., love can be seen as something that you feel inside as part of your soul, but you can also physically feel love.
Who gives a criticism of dualism and what is this known as?
Gilbert Ryle proposes the idea of The Category Mistake
Who was The Category Mistake proposed by?
Gilbert Ryle
What is a category mistake?
When you mistakenly treat something as being of one type when really, it is of a different type. It is where you put something into the wrong category.
What term does Ryle use to criticise how Descartes describes the concept of the mind?
He uses the term ‘the ghost in the machine’
Who does Ryle use the term ‘the ghost in the machine’ to describe?
Descartes and how he describes the concept of the mind.
What is the ‘ghost in the machine’ argument?
This is like me saying ‘I have a ghost inside my computer’. You would be very confused by this and not believe it. Ryle is saying that this is as logical as saying there is a soul (ghost) inside my body (machine)
What concept is Ryle trying to show with his ‘ghost in the machine’ argument?
That body and soul are not separate and by putting them in separate categories, you are making a mistake.
What is an example Ryle gave to emphasise the idea that body and soul are not separate?
The example of Cambridge University. A foreign visitor goes to the different colleges, libraries, museums, etc., but then asks ‘where is the university?’ = this is a category mistake. The university is a collection of the individual parts, not something separate. In the same way, the soul is not a separate category, but is part of the whole.
What did Ryle think Descartes was guilty of?
Making a category mistake
Give another problem of dualism
The problem of interactionism
What is the problem of interactionism?
How can the spiritual soul/mind influence or direct anything in a material/physical body and vice-versa?
The problem of interactionism
This is a criticism of dualism. It seems that if I hurt my body, the mind feels it. The mind feels sensations of hunger and thirst when we need nourishment.
