SOUL MIND BODY Flashcards
what to include in introduction
am i my body?, am i my consciousness? and the mind-body question
explain ‘am i my body?’ question
if you say ‘i feel pain when my hand is hurt’, is my hand part of what i have or is it part of what i am?
if my leg has been amputated, my body is less but am i less me?
if i gain weight, my body is more but am i?
explain the ‘am i my consciousness?’ question
me as a baby
me with dementia
am i more or less me in both of these situations?
what is the mind-body question
relationship between body and mind - what is the connection between brain and conscious thought and so WHAT AM I?
who influenced platos ideas on the soul
pythagoras - emphasised distinction between spiritual soul (psyche) and material body
how are platos beliefs on the soul/mind/body similar to development of theory of forms
nothing material is permanent! if permanence cannot be found in visible material world, then it must exist in the realm of the spiritual
plato qualities of the soul
indivisible, immortal
why is immortality of soul a problem and how did plato solve this
if my soul existed before my life and continues after my death, where does it go? SO developed theory of the Forms and world of Forms
name of platos understanding of body/soul relationship
platonic dualism
how does plato justify world of Forms theory
argument from recollection
what is the dim recollection of perfect forms called
anamnesis
who criticises plato’s theory of the forms
hume
what is hume’s criticism
we can actually create the idea of perfection ourselves, through abstract negation we imagine imperfect circles ‘not imperfect’, which creates the idea of perfection SO w can explain perfect concepts without the need for soul or forms
so, what two points does platos theory fail on
- humes criticism
- its a leap to think a soul and realm of forms must explain perfect concepts
AND SO,soul and realm of forms are not the explanation
who does aristotle disagree with
plato - says the soul is something separate from the body
aristotle argues that the properties of an object cannot be separated from the object
which cause relates to this topic
formal cause - i am a person because my body is animated by the soul which gives it life; the soul is the formal cause of the body OTHERWISE i am just matter (the material cause)
what term describes aristotles position
materialism
what does aristotle believe happens after death
when the soul dies, you go back to being a lump of matter, no personal survival after death
aristotles three elements of the soul
vegetative, appetitive, and intellectual
what is the vegetative soul
shared with all living things incl. plants
what is the appetitive soul
in which we find passions and appetites such as hunger, thirst, and sexual desire found in animals and humans
what is the intellectual soul
rational and directive belongs only in humans
aquinas’ view of the soul
the soul is the principle of life, my life needs the body to be animated
role of body in Aquinas’ view
the body is necessary for me to be me
what view does descartes adopt
substance dualism
what is descartes method and pharse to summarise this
‘I think therefore I am’
is there any knowledge that is so certain that it cannot be doubted - sense experience may be mistaken, perhaps an evil demon is creating?
briefly describe descartes indivisibility argument
the essential property of physical substance is extension. anything that is extended in space can be divided because there has to be some point along which it could be conceivably divided.
the mind is not divisible because it is non-extended.
SO Leibniz’ law says they are not identical and so must be different substances
what is leibniz’ law - apply to descartes philosophy
identical things must have the same properties. the physical has the property of being divisible but the mental does not. if the body and mind were identical, then that one identical thing would be both divisible and indivisible WHICH is impossible
describe the issue that the mental is divisible
the mind can be divided into perception, memory, emotions etc so the mind and body share the same property of divisibility and could be identical
descartes response to notion mental is divisible
mind means consciousness - perception, memory and feeling are not divisions of consciousness
modern scientific research supporting notion mind is divisible
split brain research
where does descartes say mind and body interact and why is this now a problem
pineal gland - proven to be responsible for other functions
what does ryles work attempt to do (criticism)
refute descartes’ substance dualism
what terms does ryle use to describe descartes view
‘ghost in the machine’ and guilty of a category error
what is the category error descartes is guilty of
assuming that mind and matter are of the same logical type. just because the mind is not a physical thing, that doesn’t mean it must be a non-physical thing. there could be another option - the mind might not be a ‘thing’ at all!
how does ryle illustrate his point
university example - guilty of a category error when visitor asks ‘where is the university?’ after being shown the colleges, grounds, and library when these bits are collectively the uni
how can hicks position be described
soft materialism
who does hick strongly oppose and why
plato because his view is un-christian
how is hicks view similar to aquinas
‘my soul is not me’
how does anscombe illustrate her point
pointing
what is materialism
there exists only physical matter - flesh, blood, nerves, and cells
describe anscombes belief
if i point at something, the mere action of the body is not the whole of its meaning. an action without the body is impossible. a disembodied soul could not point. however, the point alone lacks meaning. this bodily act is an act of man ‘qua spirit’; the act of a human as a whole
what word is dawkins thinking described by
materialism
dawkins overall belief regarding soul/consciousness and science
mocks view of soul BUT acknowledges mystery of consciosuness however believes scientific discovery will eventually explain this
dawkins distinction
soul 1 and soul 2
what is soul 1
separate substance of traditional thought
does dawkins accept or reject soul 1/2
rejects soul 1, accepts soul 2
what is soul 2
intellectual and spiritual power, higher development of feeling and imagination
point of dawkins explanations
there is SOMETHING to be explained
name a psychological type of materialism
behaviourism - seeing human thoughts as learned bahviours
examples of behaviourists
skinner’s rats and pavlov’s dogs
who objects to skinners behaviourism
dennett
what does dennett accuse skinner of
over-simplifying human consciousness, animal bhaviours cannot explain human behaviours
