Substance Dualism Flashcards
What is substance dualism?
There are 2 substances — mind and body, which are two completely different things (physical and mental substance)
What are two essential properties of the physical and mental substance?
Mental — thought
Physical — extension
Explain the Indivisibility Argument
The body is extended is space, it has parts which are divisible. The mind is not extended in space, it has no parts which are divisible - it is a complete single thing.
According to Leibniz’s Law of identities, if X and Y have different properties, they are not the same thing
Therefore, mind and body are two distinct and separate things
First response and counter argument to Descartes Indivisibility Argument (Divisible mind)
Response — The mind is divisible in some sense e.g mental illness - it seems some parts of mind are unable to communicate with each other
Counter — Mind isn’t divisible in the way body is. Bodies are spatially divisible, while minds are functionally divisible
Second response and counter argument to Descartes Indivisibility Argument (Limit Division)
Response — there are physical things that are not divisible in principle e.g waves or smallest physical particles (packets of energy). The fact that mind is not divisible doesn’t entail it is not physical. It could be a from of non-divisible physical thing
Counter — can still be logically divided e.g 2:2:2 and so on. However, it doesn’t fully respond to the criticism
Outline the response and counter argument to Descartes Indivisibility Argument (The mind doesn’t exist)
Response — Mind doesn’t exist. There are mental properties, like thoughts, desires etc. Perhaps these are properties of the brain. For example, while the brain has spatial parts, the temperature of the brain doesn’t have parts and yet is a physical property of a physical substance.
In other words, a substance that is spatially divisible can nethertheless possess properties which are not divisible. Therefore, mind (mental non-divisible) can be a property of the brain (physical divisible).
Descartes needs to show that Mind is a SUBSTANCE
Explain Descartes Conceivability Argument
Descartes has a clear and distinct idea of himself as something which thinks and isn’t extended and a clear and distinct idea of body which doesn’t think and is extended .
If he has a clear and distinct idea of smth, omnipotent God can create it in a way that corresponds to his thoughts
God can create mind as smth that thinks and isn’t extended and body which doesn’t think and is extended.
It is conceivable that mind can exist without body AND it is also possible that mind can exist without body
Mind and body are two distinct separate substances
What is the first Response and counter argument to Conceivability argument? ( Behaviourism)
Response —
- Behaviourism says that mental states are behavioral dispositions — ability to move your body in certain ways.
- It is inconceivable to have behavioural dispositions without a body
- It is inconceivable to have mental states without a body
Conclusion — mind without body is inconceivable
Counter — The whole response assumes that behaviorism is the correct account of the mind. If Behaviourism is wrong, then there is no contradiction in the idea of mental states without behavioral dispositions, and so we can conceive of DISEMBODIED THOUGHTS
What is the second Response to Conceivability argument? (Conceivable doesn’t equal possible)
What is conceivable doesn’t mean it is physically possible. What is physically possible is always logically possible, however what is logically possible isn’t always physically possible
What is the third Response and counter argument to Conceivability argument? (Masked man fallacy)
Response —
1. I conceive of Batman as a caped crusader
2. I conceive of Bruce Wayne as a billionaire and not a caped crusader
3. Therefore, Batman is not Bruce Wayne
Descartes build his argument on what he believes, but what we believe isn’t always true
Just because you have the idea that mind and body are separate things is NOT sufficient to demonstrate that these two are actually distinct separate things.
Counter — In the Batman example ideas are not clear and distinct (rational intuition). By merely reflecting on the proposition “My mind is a thinking thing that is not extended in space” reveals it is true, but its not the case for “Bruce Wayne as a billionaire and not a caped crusader” .
