Week 1.1 - The Brain

Question 1

Keystone of Materialism

Answer 1

The idea that our mental life emerges from our physical brain.

• Odd, unnatural view

Question 2

Keystone of Dualism

Answer 2

Dualism is an idea that’s been found in just about every religion and every philosophy.

*Made explicit in Plato

Question 3

The philosopher that is most thoughtful and articulate defender of dualism

Answer 3

Rene Descartes

Question 4

For Descartes, he believed that animals were?

Answer 4

material things

*He thought that the doctrine of materialism was correct about non-human animals

Question 5

This is what Descartes argued about humans

Answer 5

“Humans are different”

Question 6

According to Descartes, what is there in humans?

Answer 6

Duality

Question 7

What is the duality in humans?

Answer 7

1. We are part material
2. But we’re also in part spiritual, separate, mental, psychological.

*We possess two sorts of things.
*We are composed of two sorts of things.

Question 8

The first argument for a non-material nature

Answer 8

“Humans are capable of doing things that no machine, no material entity ever could.”

Question 9

Argument 1 (Duality)

Answer 9

The creativity and spontaneity of human action

Question 10

The scenario that Descartes thought about humans as machines responding to the environment.

Answer 10

• Robots in French Royal Gardens in the 17th century (Modern Disneyland or Euro Disney)

*Had robots that react when you approach them or when you step on certain stones.

Question 11

“Well, maybe we’re such things, maybe we’re just machines responding to the environment.”

Answer 11

• Descartes said we can’t be

*He said maybe animals, non-human animals can be, but human behavior is far more complicated, and variegated, and subtle to be explained in such simple ways.

Question 12

Who ‘s the critique of behaviorism which argued that basically humans respond in a relatively reflexive way to environmental stimuli?

Answer 12

Noam Chomsky

Question 13

“That can’t be. Our behavior’s far too complicated for that. So, we can’t be machines.”

Answer 13

Descartes and Chomsky

Question 14

Descartes’ second argument for a non-material nature

Answer 14

Intuition

*His claim was we don’t feel like bodies

Question 15

Method in Intuition

Answer 15

Method of doubt

Question 16

“What do we know for sure, and what can we question?”

Answer 16

Method of doubt

Question 17

Example of Method of doubt

Answer 17

The Matrix, which maintains that we think we’re running around in the physical world, but actually, with the lucky exception of our heroes like Neo and Trinity, we’re actually just plugged into some sort of system.

*Illusions

Question 18

“There’s a lot we can’t be sure of. The things that we are seemingly most confident about in real world can’t be shaken.”

Answer 18

Descartes and his followers

Question 19

But Descartes said, there’s one thing you can’t doubt:

Answer 19

• You can’t doubt your own consciousness.
• You can’t doubt your own existence.

Question 20

Argument 2 (Duality)

Answer 20

“I think, therefore I am”