Soul Mind And Body Flashcards
“Evaluate dualism” essay plan
A: Descartes view of the soul ‘cogito ergo sum’ - physical body can be divided into parts. Leibniz’ law states that two identical things must have the same properties, therefore mind cannot be identical with any physical substance in the body
CA: Dawkins argues science can explain. Neurons in the brain. Physical events in the brain
E: Weak argument as materialism reduces all human experience into physical. Anscombe: where does intention come from
A: Plato - charioteer. Soul is in harmony when reason is in control; explains how emotions control the body, soul controls material desires of the body
CA: Not necessarily the soul. Can be explain as emotions. Dawkins - DNA makes us more easily swayed by emotions
E: Socrates - anamnesis - argument for affinity, let a slave understand maths
Dualist scholars
Plato: soul is separate from the body and is the formal cause that can access the world of the forms after death. The soul is trapped in the body. Charioteer example: reason is the charioteer, who controls emotions, in balance the soul is in harmony. Uses cyclical argument, form of life argument, argument of recollection. Inspo from Socrates
Socrates: Argument from affinity/ recollection
Criticisms of Plato’s view of the soul
- Peter Geach: asks how a disembodied soul can ‘see’ forms when seeing is a physical process
- Argument from opposites seems to be an assumption. No need to assume the soul exists or is the opposite side of the body
- There is no verifiable evidence of an immaterial soul as something extra and beyond the physical body
Arguments for Plato’s view of the soul
- Plato describes the human experience of inner conflict. This could mean that reason can be in control of the soul
- theory of recollection: Socrates questioning a slave, slave is uneducated. No knowledge before but still can answer the maths question with instructions: He is just remembering as the souls has been in the world of forms
- cyclical argument (argument from opposites): everything has opposite states - two opposite processes balance each other out. e.g. ‘dying’ and ‘coming to life’ - therefore everything must come back to life again - soul
- Form of life argument: everything that has the form of life must participate in the form of life -> soul must be immortal
- We know what is fair and unfair from being in the forms at some point
Aristotle’s view of the soul
- The body is animated by the soul which gives it life
- it not an immortal substance. When a person dies the soul dies
- Not a complete separation
Believed that the soul has three elements:
1. the vegetative soul: shared with all living things
2. the appetitive soul: in which we find passions and appetite such as hunger, thirst, sexual desire
3. The intellectual soul: the rational and directive - it thinks about things and decides actions
Arguments for Aristotle’s view of the soul
- The soul is essential because it is the formal cause. An axe would not be an axe with only it’s matter, it needs the form
- Elizabeth Anscombe: supports this view with the idea of intention. Although the action of pointing to an object is physical, it does not explain the reason. Intention can be linked to the soul
- The body and souls cannot be separated because both are essential to the living being - like an imprint of a stamp
Criticisms against Aristotle’s view of the soul
- Materialists would argue that we are made of physical matter only
- Plato would argue that the soul can be separated from the body which imprisons it during life
- Materialists would argue that there is no need to assume something extra (a soul)
Descartes’ view of the soul (substance dualism)
Descartes questioned how he can be certain about everything. He decided he cannot be certain about anything as he could be deceived by a demon. Even if it was the case he still thinks - cogito ergo sum. His mind is the essence of himself
Therefore mind is separate from the body
- the soul animates the body by moving limbs like a marionette - uses animal spirit
- located in the pineal gland as everything else is in pairs except penial gland
Arguments for Descartes substance dualism
- the mind and body are different substances because they can be treated differently. The mind is immaterial and thinking whereas the body is physical. The body can be removed into parts whereas the body cannot
-pineal gland as singular
Criticisms against Descartes view of the soul
- When someone loses a limb it can be argued that if someone was to lose a limb it would alter their outlook on life. May suggest that the mind and body are more closely related than Descartes allow
- what makes a person can be a combination of factors including body and mind
- Medical research shows that the pineal gland helps regulate sleep
- Gilbert Ryle: How can an immaterial mind communicate with a material body - ghost in a machine.
- Gilbert Ryle: It is a category error: it is an incorrect way to talk about consciousness - Oxford example
- Dennett: he says that substance dualists describe the mind as a Cartesian theatre. The mind is a theatre. Dennett argues that this is an incorrect understanding of the mind
Materialism arguments
- Dennett: argues that conscious thought is more likely to be a process in the physical brain. At some points psychologists will be able to detect thinking
-
Dawkins: rejects the idea of a soul as a spiritual substance - the soul is “mystic jelly”. The soul is intellectual abilities
-Susan Blackmore: regards consciousness as as a delusion because when we describe being conscious - we are looking for something extra that doesn’t exist. - Functional magnetic scanners can detect changes in the brain
- there is nothing more to personhood than the body or the brain
Weaknesses of materialism
- even if thoughts can be tracked, where does the intention come from
- materialism reduces all human experience toto the physical. There are many who pint to a feeling of something more than the material
- Dawkin’s claim that one day scientists will be able to fully explain consciousness is an assumption
