Soul Mind Body Flashcards
Plato’s view on body and soul
Dualism - body and soul are separate as the body isn’t permanent and controlled by the senses, but the soul is the real essential part of someone that can reason and access the world of forms.
Chariot analogy
Reason is the charioteer who controls the two horses of emotions and physical appetites, when reason is in control the soul is in harmony. However bodily desires or emotions can take over.
Argument from knowledge for Plato
Soul previously witnessed the forms, reason recalls the knowledge of the forms as a beautiful sunset has the form of beauty, knowledge is recollected not learned which proves they are separate.
Argument from the opposites
Opposites like light and dark, body and soul are opposites so if life is something death must be too, which is the soul moving to the world of forms.
Criticisms of Plato’s Dualism
- Geach argues how a disembodied soul can see the forms when seeing is physical
- No material evidence for the soul beyond human body
- Inner conflict in chariot analogy could be personality type or lack of maturity.
Aristotles view on body and soul
Soul can’t be separate from body but they aren’t the same thing, A wax and imprint can’t be separated just as the body and soul can’t be.
Which four causes are body and soul
Body - material cause, the matter
Soul - formal cause, shape and characteristics
Living and dead chickens example from Aristotle
They both have the same matter in feathers and beaks but they have different form as the dead chickens no longer cluck or move. This is because the formal cause or soul has died with the body so can no longer animate the chicken.
Three faculties of the soul
Vegetative - to be able to grow
Appetitive - ability to act on fulfilling desires
Rational- ability of intellect only found in humans
Anscombe support of Aristotle
Pointing isn’t just an action as there is intention and meaning behind it which is the soul. Act of a human as a whole.
Criticisms of Aristotle
- No need to assume an immaterial soul
- Body ceasing to exist is evidence of difference between living and dead chicken as there is nothing else.
How did Descartes reach his conclusion
He could doubt everything as body could be an illusion due to an evil demon deceiving him. If this was the case he was still thinking which takes place in the mind so he must still exist as mind is essence of himself. Conclusion that they must be separate if mind can exist without the body.
Cogito ergo sum
I think therefore I am
How is Descartes a substance dualist
The physical body can be divided like an amputated limb but this doesn’t effect the mind, the mind cannot be divided but can still think when separated from the bodies existence so they are separate substances, material and immaterial.
Pineal gland
Two of everything in the body like eyes, nose, feet but there was only one so Descartes concluded this is the point of interaction between mind and body
Personhood
Body can change like a trsnpalnt but one’s mind won’t because it holds personhood in their identity making them unique.
Criticism of Descartes
- Body can change and affect the mind like paralysis and depression
- medical research found the function of the pineal gland in regulating sleep patterns
- personhood is also one’s characteristics not just the mind
- Cant explain the problem of interaction between mind and body, sad = crying
- no way of knowing other people have minds if mind is separate from body
Gilbert Ryle - ghost in the machine
Descartes incorrectly sees the physical bodily actions being controlled by an immaterial mind, this is impossible.
Gilbert Ryle - category error
Logical error with use of language assuming something extra to what was seen, team spirit cannot be seen in a game of cricket, Descartes categorises all events as mental or physical separate substances but they aren’t ,body and mind are linguistic devices used to describe the whole person and a conscious being.
Materialism - Identity Theory
Mental and physical events are the same,as mind and brain and all refer to mental activity, physical activity in the brain cause mental activity in the mind. Different titles used for the same person.
Materialism - dennett
Cartesian theatre the theory that the mind feels like a multi sensory theatre in the head but he rejects this as the brain is a complex organ no single place.
Materialism - Blackmore
Soul and mind are metaphors for personhood or consciousness, as they are used to describe what it’s like to be human.
Dawkins soul one
Ancient idea of consciousness meaning a mystic jelly, a mysterious life force that mess humans rational beings, filling in gaps in knowledge with mythical ideas or gods.
Dawkins soul two
Intellect or mental abilities, bytes an bytes of digital information as it’s a physical process in the brain like in the DNA. An evolutionary advantage that allows us to know to stay away from something dangerous
Criticism of materialism
- Ward argues no soul means humans become another animal as morality becomes personal taste and purpose is lost
- Swinburne argues most defining factors of identity aren’t physical like moral obligations
- makes assumption that science will someday find the answer
How does Chalmers criticise Materialism
How can objective first person experiences be explained by objective third person explanations
Divisibility Argument in favour of Dualism
Mind and Body have different properties and functions, if they were the same they would have the same
