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RS philosophy > The Self and the Afterlife > Flashcards

The Self and the Afterlife Flashcards

1
Q

What is a substance?

A

the bearer of properties

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2
Q

What are Plato’s ideas about the soul?

A
  1. ontologically distinct from the body
  2. Consciousness
  3. the soul has innate knowledge- through contemplation and reason alone (meno slave)
  4. belongs the the world of ideal forms
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3
Q

What are Plato’s ideas about the body?

A
  1. prison for the soul
  2. temporary and material
  3. senses are faulty
  4. the senses corrupt us through fear and lust
  5. divisible
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4
Q

What is Aristotle’s argument for property dualism?

A
  1. we only know of matter
  2. the soul is an epiphenomena from matter
  3. it is inseparable yet different from matter.

(Interactionist Epiphenomenalism)

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5
Q

What is Epicurus’ argument for materialism/physicalism?

A

No:
1. soul
2. afterlife
3. God

All properties and substances are material

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6
Q

What is David Chalmers’ argument from property dualism and his take on the afterlife + reply?

A

zombie argument

consciousness arises from matter, yet is impossible to explain through just matter.

(Hard problem of consciousness)

Afterlife:

needs the body to be reconstituted.

Reply: Hick

  1. What if u don’t like your final body
  2. flesh and blood can’t inherit the kingdom of God
  3. who gets the original molecules once you are dead (some1 may have eaten u)
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7
Q

What are the attacks against physicalist theories?

A
  1. near death exp, where ppl see themselves away from their body
  2. out of body experiences
  3. past life memories (Dalai Lama)
  4. past life regressions
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8
Q

What are the properties of the body and mind?

A

Body = extension, mass, location, divisibility, and insentient

Mind = no extension, no divisibility, no location

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9
Q

What is Descartes’ conceivability argument?

A
  1. I have a clear and distinct idea of the mind and different from the soul. (different properties)
  2. therefore it is metaphysically and logically possible
  3. therefore my mind is independent from my body.
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10
Q

What are the attacks to the premises of the conceivability argument + replies?

A
  1. behaviourists say that it isnt convievable, as you don’t know enough. All mental states are no different from behavioural states.

Reply:
This rests on behaviourism being correct (super spartans).

  1. even if conceivable, doesnt mean its true.

clark and superman concieved as different

Reply: no logical contradiction in superman being clark kent, but you need all the facts. Furthermore, there is a logical contradiction in mind = body (lebniz identity principle).

  1. Just cause its possible, doesnt mean it is the case

Chinese man jump to mars

Reply:
logical contradiction

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11
Q

What is Descartes’ divisibility argument?

A
  1. The body is divisible
  2. The mind isn’t
  3. Following Leibniz’s identity principle, they must be 2 independent substances
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12
Q

What are the attacks to the premises of the divisibility argument + replies?

A
  1. Possibility of indivisible matter (CERN may find a fundamentally indivisible particle).

Reply: They haven’t got there yet.

  1. The mind is divisible
    e.g. lobotomies, multiple personalities, schizophrenia, Jung and Freud’s subconscious and conscious mind.

Reply: not the same divisibility as matter. When u chop a physically thing, it still has all the intelligible components, but with the mind, it either exists as an intelligible whole or not.

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13
Q

What are the attacks to both of Descartes’ arguments as a whole + replies?

A
  1. Interaction problem:
    - Elizabeth of bohemia
    - interaction happens through contact and the mind has no location or physical presence (ghost in the machine).

Reply: connects via the pineal gland (still physical) and instances like magnets and gravity are beyond physical contact, yet are clear as day.

  1. Conservation of energy:
    - energy can’t be created or destroyed
    - when you move your hand, your mind is creating energy???
    - the energy in the universe goes up, every time there is movement.

Reply: as the mind is immaterial, it’s not subject to material laws of nature.

  1. Solipsism:
    how dyu know that other minds even exist?

Reply: I have a mind and have behaviours, and if others have behaviours, I can deduce that other also have a mind.

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14
Q

What are Gilbert Ryle’s 2 attacks on Descartes?

A
  1. Ghost in the machine:
    - immaterial thing in the body
  2. Category mistake:
    - there is only 1 substance - matter
    - left and right gloves = pair.
    - nothing but physical.
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15
Q

What is the conclusion to the Dualism vs Materialism debate?

A
  1. hard problem of consciousness
  2. free will
  3. humaity
  4. W. James
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RS philosophy (14 decks)

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