Gamburd, Eitan
03393503
4. What does it mean to say that mental states are real?
Recall the last time you saw a movie at the theater. When the movie ended, were you sad? Angry? Joyful? Was the theater cold? Were the seats comfortable? Were you interested in the movie at all? Our conscious states or experiences such as thoughts, feelings, desires, and sensations can be attributed to mental states. To say mental states are real is to say that the brain and mind are two distinct substances by which the mind casually interacts with the body. Therefore, In order to believe in mental states, one needs to believe in a form of Dualism. The dualistic idea that mental states are real may be supported by the fact that no physical science is capable …show more content…
More importantly, are mental states real? The major arguments for Dualism & mental states fall along the lines of religion, introspection, and irreducibility. Each of the major religions put emphasis on the meaning of life and the idea of an everlasting soul. Given that the disbelief of Dualism and Mental states are inconsistent with most major religions, many people find it difficult to discredit the idea. In terms of introspection, recall from earlier in the passage the last time you visited the movie theater. Could other people in the theater tell how you were feeling just by looking at you? It is evident that each individual can apprehend his or her own conscious thoughts and feelings. One cannot clearly understand how the thoughts are formed or what is happening in their brain to form those thoughts, however, the thoughts and feelings are as clear as can be. Moreover, the argument from irreducibility states that there is no possible physical explanation that could account for what is happening for certain mental occurrences. Rene Descartes argued that the human capacity for mathematical reasoning and language was beyond the scope of anything physical, thus could only be explained by the idea of a “supernatural” mind, by which mental states could casually interact with brain states. The idea that mental states are possible can only be attributed by the lack of scientific knowledge on the subject, thus, there is no argument that …show more content…
The simplest argument advocated mostly by materialists is known as Ockham’s Razor, by which if all else is equal, the simplest hypothesis should be accepted; in the words of William of Ockham, “Do not multiply entities beyond what is strictly necessary to explain the phenomena.” Where materialists believe that the only existing is substance is physical matter, Dualists believe in both matter and mind. Another objection to dualism is known as the relative explanatory impotence. It is clearly evident that the brain exists. Scientists know its exact composition, its microstructure, how neurons work, and how mental activity processes sensory information. Scientists have learned that the growth and development of the brains microstructure appear to be the foundation of various kinds of learning, which involve permanent chemical and physical changes to the brain. As neuroscientists have discovered key information about the brain, much of the brain’s behavioral properties, which were once thought to be “mental states,” could be explained scientifically. “Dualism” is just a name given to the information that is yet to be discovered which will explain certain mental
03393503
4. What does it mean to say that mental states are real?
Recall the last time you saw a movie at the theater. When the movie ended, were you sad? Angry? Joyful? Was the theater cold? Were the seats comfortable? Were you interested in the movie at all? Our conscious states or experiences such as thoughts, feelings, desires, and sensations can be attributed to mental states. To say mental states are real is to say that the brain and mind are two distinct substances by which the mind casually interacts with the body. Therefore, In order to believe in mental states, one needs to believe in a form of Dualism. The dualistic idea that mental states are real may be supported by the fact that no physical science is capable …show more content…
More importantly, are mental states real? The major arguments for Dualism & mental states fall along the lines of religion, introspection, and irreducibility. Each of the major religions put emphasis on the meaning of life and the idea of an everlasting soul. Given that the disbelief of Dualism and Mental states are inconsistent with most major religions, many people find it difficult to discredit the idea. In terms of introspection, recall from earlier in the passage the last time you visited the movie theater. Could other people in the theater tell how you were feeling just by looking at you? It is evident that each individual can apprehend his or her own conscious thoughts and feelings. One cannot clearly understand how the thoughts are formed or what is happening in their brain to form those thoughts, however, the thoughts and feelings are as clear as can be. Moreover, the argument from irreducibility states that there is no possible physical explanation that could account for what is happening for certain mental occurrences. Rene Descartes argued that the human capacity for mathematical reasoning and language was beyond the scope of anything physical, thus could only be explained by the idea of a “supernatural” mind, by which mental states could casually interact with brain states. The idea that mental states are possible can only be attributed by the lack of scientific knowledge on the subject, thus, there is no argument that …show more content…
The simplest argument advocated mostly by materialists is known as Ockham’s Razor, by which if all else is equal, the simplest hypothesis should be accepted; in the words of William of Ockham, “Do not multiply entities beyond what is strictly necessary to explain the phenomena.” Where materialists believe that the only existing is substance is physical matter, Dualists believe in both matter and mind. Another objection to dualism is known as the relative explanatory impotence. It is clearly evident that the brain exists. Scientists know its exact composition, its microstructure, how neurons work, and how mental activity processes sensory information. Scientists have learned that the growth and development of the brains microstructure appear to be the foundation of various kinds of learning, which involve permanent chemical and physical changes to the brain. As neuroscientists have discovered key information about the brain, much of the brain’s behavioral properties, which were once thought to be “mental states,” could be explained scientifically. “Dualism” is just a name given to the information that is yet to be discovered which will explain certain mental