Soul, Mind and Body Flashcards
what is Dualism
that there are two different types of existence, mental and physical
what is substance dualism
Descartes version that the two different types of existence are two different sibstances
what is monism
the view that there is one kind of existence
what is materialism
the view that the one kind of existence is physical substance
what did Plato believe of the soul
that it is imprisoned in the body, trapping it from reaching the world of the forms
what did Plato suggest when we learn
we are actually recalling knowledge about the forms
what is Plato’s analogy of the chariot
one horse is the mind, the other is the body and the soul (the rider) is the one trying to direct them to work together
how does Plato describe the soul
it is ‘simple’ and ‘without parts’
what are the three aspects of the soul
reason - searches for truth.
desire
spirit - aspects which can be trained.
how does the idea of a young child illustrate Plato’s three aspects of the soul
a young child throwing a tantrum shows the lack of harmony the soul, the spirit and desire are not being directed by reason
what was Plato’s argument of opposites
plato argues that the physical world consists of opposites (big and small, life and death)
so for there to be a thing off living then death must also be a thing. the soul must exist so that one can talk of living and deaths opposites.
was supports the argument of opposites
reincarnation, as death is opposite to life and vice versa, this implies a cycle of death
why is Plato’s theory of the soul have dangerous foundations
it relies upon the realm of the forms existing which cannot be proven and is not accepted greatly
why is the argument of opposites criticised
it holds on the assumption that everything has opposites
what did Aristotle claim the soul was
the formal cause of the body
how is Aristotles idea of the soul being the formal cause criticised
formal causation in unscientific, in modern science the formal cause can be explained by the material and efficient causation
what is the rational soul
the soul given to human due to the fact we are able to use reason
why is the idea of a rational soul challenged by neuroscientists
reason can be found to be a material brain process, not part of a soul
why does descartes know he exists even without a body
“I think therefore I am”, the body can be an illusion by a demon
what is Descartes indivisibility argument
physical substance can be divided, the mind is indivisible, identical things must have the same properties so the mind cannot be identical to physical substance
what is the issue of mental divisibility or Descartes
the mind can be separated into memory, emotion and so on, therefore, it is identical to physical substance
how does Descartes respond to the issue of mental divisibility
memory and emotions are different modes not divisions, it is the same undivided mind that perceives
how do mental illnesses also critic Descartes substance dualism
disorders such as multiple personality suggest that the mind can be divided.
what is the interaction problem of dualism
if dualism is correct, how is it possible for them to interact, physical things can only interact with physical things
