Substance Dualism

Question 1

Indivisibility arg

Answer 1

P1: if two entities are identical, they share all the same properties.
P2: physical things are divisible.
P3: mental consciousness cannot be divisible.
C: Therefore, they must be different distinct substances.

Question 2

Mind is divisible- objection to indivisibility arg

Answer 2

Split brain patient.
- Shows that 1 half of the brain knows what the picture is but the other does not.
- Implies that dividing consciousness is as simple as cutting the brain in half.

Question 3

Bundle theory

Answer 3

Hume claims that there is no unifying consciousness which is experiencing all the mental states, there are just the mental states passing through.
Thus, the mind is divisible into its component mental states.

Vase represents consciousness and flowers represent mental states.

Question 4

Objection- some bodies are not divisible

Answer 4

Although it is clear that physical objects can be divided in half and these halves can then be further divided, it is not clear that this process could continue indefinitely.
This is a matter future physics will discover if there is an absolute limit to dividing matter of a substance level - string theory.

If there is an absolute limit to how small thing scan be in the universe - plank length
An absolute limit to ‘dividing matter of a substance

Eval – option – split brain has empirical evidence compared to indivisible matter. 
                         - split brain patient does not show split consciousness as only emerges under lab
                           conditions

Question 5

Conceivablity arg

Answer 5

Descartes argues that God could create the mind and body as separate entities and given that it is possible they could be created this way it follows that there are in themselves independent entities, as for instance the buttons can be separated from trousers but the green colour cannot be. The argument presented without reference to God is as follows.

P1. It is conceivable that mind can exist without body.
C1. Therefore, it is possible that mind can exist without body.
C2. Therefore, mind and body are distinct substances.

1. Mind without body is not conceivable -
2. Logical poss does not imply metaphysical poss -
3. Possibility says nothing about actual world.

Question 6

The empirical problem

Answer 6

P1: The universe is a closed causal system in which the total amount of energy remains constant (conservation of energy principle)
P2: Any non-physical to physical causation would have to involve an addition of energy to the physical world (and physical to non-physical causation would have to involve a loss of energy from the physical world)
C: Therefore, non-physical to physical causation is not empirically possible

Question 7

The interaction problem

Answer 7

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