Soul, mind, body COPY Flashcards
What does Plato believe about the soul and body?
they are separate from each other
what are our bodies controlled by?
the unreliable senses which can deceive us
what does the impermanence of the body lead plato to believe?
there must be something permanent-soul
what is the soul and its abilities?
essential part of us that can reason spot it can access the unchanging reality of the world of forms
charioteer example?
-shows struggle between body and soul
-charioteer controls horses (emotion) and physical appetites
-when reason is in control soul is in harmony
however emotions can take over
-no harmony in soul if reason isn’t in control of emotions
recollection and knowledge argument
-knowledge only found in world of forms
-soul has previously witnessed forms then was incarnated into body
-using reason soul recalls knowledge about forms- anamnesis
-knowledge is innate not learned- proof that body and soul are separate
Plato’s arguments from opposites and its weaknes
we recognise opposites such as large and small and light and dark. the body and soul are opposites.
however..
this is an assumption, not everything has an opposite, effect.g. what is the opposite of the colour blue
Meno example and its weakness
slave boy, uneducated, manages to solve geometry puzzle
evidence he has encountered knowledge before birth in realm of forms
however…
Socrates’ questions lead the boy to the answer step by step, he could arrive at answer by learning not recalling
Plato is wrong there is no separate soul
-Inner conflict he describes is simply explained by emotion, personality type or lack of maturity- could be due to upbringing or DNA that we are more easily swayed by emotions rather than an immaterial soul
-no verifiable evidence of an immaterial soul as something extra beyond physical body
- Peter Geach- how can a disembodied soul ‘see’ the forms when ‘seeing’ is a physical process
Aristotle’s view on soul and examples
- used obvservation to conclude there must be a soul
-soul can’t be separated from body
e.g. body=axe soul= chop
body= eye soul =ability to see
which causes are the body and soul
how do these explain change?
how would materialists disagree with this?
material cause is the body
formal cause is soul- soul animates the bodying gives it characteristics
change is because formal cause has died with the body as soul and body can’t be separated
however…
materialists would argue there is no need to assume something extra and the physical body ceasing to function explains the difference between living and dead because there is nothing else, no soul
what are his 3 faculties of the soul that every living thing has at least one of?
vegetative- characteristics of growing
appetitive- ability to act and fulfil desires of food, reproduction etc
rational- intellect, only found in human souls
Arguments against Aristotle’s views of the soul
-Materialists- we are made of physical matter only- no need to assume there is something extra or immaterial
- Plato- soul can be separated from body which imprisons it. After death soul returns to world of forms, gains knowledge before incarnated into another body
-
what did Descartes believe about the mind/soul
it is a non-physical thing that is separate to the body
they are wholly different substances
Why does Descartes doubt the body?
-his senses are unreliable
-he could be being deceived by an evil demon-and his body could be an illusion
-hard to know the difference between dreaming and being awake
-‘cogito ergo sum’ I think therefore I am
the mind is where the thinking takes place so he decided the mind was the essence of himself and that he must exist
what can the physical part of the body not do? what can it do unlike the mind? how does this prove substance dualism?
-it can’t think
-it can be divided into parts unlike the mind
-mental capacity to feel and understand is done by the same mind
-amputation doesn’t take anything away from mind
- since the thinking mind can be separated from the existence of the body it must be a different sort of substance
-mind is immaterial and body is material
what does there need to be if mind and body are separate substances? where does Descartes suggest this is?
how does science disprove this?
A link between the body and mind.
He suggests this is in the pineal gland, centre of brain
because there are two of everything else run body and only one pineal gland
however…
medical research- pineal gland has a physical function of regulating sleep, unlikely to be point of contact between mind and body
how can an immaterial mind communicate with material body? Ryle- ‘ghost in a machine’
Arguments against Descartes’ substance dualism
-losing a limb can alter someone’s outlook on life - suggest a closer link to body and mind than Descartes suggests
-what makes a person? is it only the mind or a combination of mind and body?- you would recognise old classmates from physical appearance
what does Dawkins say about the soul?
soul 1 + soul 2
it is a mythological concept to explain the mysteries of consciousness
it provides a convenient explanation
it is possible to use the term metaphorically as long as we don’t believe it refers to man actual thing
soul 1- immaterial element that will survive death
Soul 2- intellectual or spiritual power
Is Ryle a materialist?
he is not strictly a materialist but can be used to support materialist thought
How does Ryle criticise Descartes’ substance dualism? example?
why does this problem arise?
-it is a category error
-an immaterial mind can’t interact with a material body
-‘ghost in a machine’ - a non-physical ghost couldn’t pull the levers and handles to make a machine work
-this problem arises because of an incorrect use of language
Ryle examples of why this is the wrong way to talk about consciousness
a stranger tours a uni and sees sports ground, libraries etc and asks where the uni is
it is a combination not something extra
Why does Ryle accuse Descartes of making a category error? what does Ryle argue? what everyday examples does he give?
Descartes tries to categorise all events as mental or physical and he is saying there is something additional to the body, controlling its behaviour
Ryle argues that body and mind are not distinct separate substances but a description of a whole person
when we talk about ourselves we don’t say ‘my hand is switching on the kettlele’
‘ my mind has decided to make a cup of tea’
what is the masked man fallacy?
“I don’t know who the masked man is.”
“The masked man is an important person”
“Therefore, I don’t know who this important person is.”
could be your dad but assume it isn’t because appearance is hidden
-can doubt the body but it is probably real
