Soul, Mind, Body Flashcards
What is Dualism
The idea that humans are a combination of a physical body and a non physical soul, the soul lives on after death.
What is Monism
The idea that Humans are both physical body and non psychical soul, but the soul dies after death as both the body and the soul require eachother
What is Materialism
The idea that humans are just physical matter with no separate soul, there is no afterlife, just material.
What is Plato’s view of the soul
Plato was a dualist and believed that when the body dies the soul is released into the afterlife.
Plato also believed that the soul is unchanging, immortal and part of the forms
What are the two levels Plato thinks of existence
Appearance / Reality
Senses / Reason
Opinion / Knowledge
Physical / ideal forms
Body / Soul
What does Plato think about the dynamic between the body and soul
The soul and body are in opposition, basically meaning that the soul wants to understand ideas and gain knowledge while the body is more caring about pleasures. The body is a nuisance.
What does Plato believe about life and death
Death must come from life and life must come from death - like someone who is awake was once asleep.
What idea did Plato use about the mind, body and soul
He believed that the soul is a charioteer, who is in charge of the mind and the body. The mind and body pulls in different directions. People who fail to do this are stuck with bodily needs.
How does Plato arguing remembering things
Our knowledge of the forms are a-priori, we know what a perfect circle is and are aware of true good knowledge.
What are some criticisms of Plato in mind body and soul
There is no actual proof of the world of the forms, and his ideas may cause us to devalue and not care about our bodies.
What does Aristotle believe about the body and soul
All living things are enclosed. The matter is the body, the form is the soul. They both depend on each other, they cannot be separated, they are two halves of the same creature
What is morphe
‘if the eye were an animal, sight would be the soul’, the soul changes physical matter
What are the different types of souls Aristotle argues
Vegetative element - plants
Appetitive element - Animals
Reason element - Humans
What is Descartes’ doubt
His idea that its possible to doubt his body but not his mind
Was Descartes a dualist, monist or materialist
Dualist as he thought its possible for us to have a ‘disembodied existence’. Its possible to doubt body but not doubt mind
What arguments favour dualism
The fact that we talk in ourselves as we are different from our bodies, ‘my body’ ‘I have a body’. We can also prove we think by understanding it. We cannot doubt our mind.
What arguments don’t favour dualism
Language does not prove anything as language may be entirely nurture.
What is Ryle’s critique of Dualism
Ryle argues that our problem is that were thinking about the mind as a ‘thing’ that is physical or non-physical. Ryle argues that it is a categorical mistake as it is just human behaviour which can be analysed by science.
The example is the team spirit and the cricket players
What does Dawkins argue about the soul
States that there is no after life and no God so therefore there cannot be a soul.
We are entirely materialistic, seen through how our personality and body controls can change based on manipulation within the brain
Dawkins argues that the afterlife is just a fake thing for people who fear death
What is the selfish gene
The idea that humans are survival machines programmed to preserve genes
What does Dawkins believe about life after death
Believes that the 9/11 attacks wouldn’t of happened if there was no belief of an afterlife or a reward afterlife.
‘‘To fill a world with religions of the Abrahamic kind, is like littering the streets with loaded guns. Do not be surprised if they are misused’’
What is Dawkins sense of awe
The idea that we are able to open our eyes after millions of years for a short amount of time in the sun, we are to enjoy it.
What are some criticisms of Dawkins
Dawkins misrepresents religion, and believes God to be a physical creator within the universe.
What can be used to argue the idea of a soul biologically
That the soul / consciousness is just an illusion for humans
What philosophers are within soul, mind and body
Plato
Aristotle
Descartes
Dawkins
