Prior to delving in and analyzing the various responses of Huxley, Ryle, and Armstrong, a synopsis highlighting the key points of “An Unfortunate Dualist” is essential. Ultimately, Smullyan paints a picture of a protagonist who is extremely unhappy due to his philosophical inclinations. He reasons he cannot commit suicide for it will not be a rational act given the various associations he believes suicide holds. This dualist, comes across a miraculous drug which will annihilate the soul, yet leaving the physical body- his perfect solution. During the night, a friend who is aware of his sufferings sneaks in and injects the drug.…
Dualism is the concept of two beings sharing one body and one exsperience. In DuBois case, He explains the two parts of a "Negro" as being divided by the struggles of being black and beimg american. Due to Descrimination agianst african americans, Dualism was a common case. As an African American, You are treated as an African, but is stationed as an American, making you only different by the color of your skin, not the contiant of your charactor, nor your abilities. Also I do feel that this concept is viewed with in every culture according to status and…
Dualism can be defined as dividing life into two separate categories, the first being secular and the second being spiritual. Secular involves things within the physical and changing world in which humans live. Sacred includes things related to the spiritual and unchanging existence of God. Secular is evident in places/activities such as education, business, arts, sciences, government, hobbies, and entertainment. Sacred is only involved in church-related activities.…
The Power of Progressivism:A Close Reading of The Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds At the end of the seventeenth century, the idea of a universe existing beyond earth was inconceivable. Before the modern concept of various planets and intergalactic space travel, people received most of their knowledge through the church. The first novel to express this idea was “Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds” by Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle. The book was aimed at the ordinary person, and became the first science book ever published. The book is composed of a string of casual evening conversations between Fontanelle and a woman named Marquise.…
Jean Piaget’s study of the development of reasoning gives us the best insights into how we develop the self. This is best understood by assessing the insights of Cartesian dualism. ‘ Cogito ergo sum’ is Latin for ‘I think, therefore I am’. In contrast, subjective interactionists claim that the “I” is the subjective self, whereas the “me” is objective. The older I get, the better I am at reasoning with my surroundings; even if I consider my body to be part of my environment.…
Ex Machina is a movie based on the present where a CEO of an internet company named Nathan creates an A.I. in which he begins to run multiple exams. Nathan the CEO run many tests until he believes the A.I. Ava has passed his test which leads onto the final exam the Turing Test. Nathan chooses one of his workers who fit the criteria to be a component in the Turing Test to learn the capabilities and consciousness of the A.I. Ava. Before he begins the test the worker Nathan has chosen to name Caleb is told that the A.I. has the brain which is a gel substance that stores memories. As the test comes close the end, both Nathan and Caleb find out that Eva is far more aware, conscious and deceptive than either one could imagine.…
In the Epilogue of An Elementary Christian Metaphysics by Owens, the author summarizes what was argued and discussed throughout the book. The crucial points that were discussed in this section include the definition of Metaphysics, Christian Metaphysics and how it contrasts to Christianity, as well as its status in science and the subject of Metaphysics. Overall, Owens provided a conclusion of his arguments that summarized what the Metaphysics course is about and how it is understood and determined. Metaphysics is a deep understanding of what a being is and how it relates to the universe, how it leads to the supernatural and explains how metaphysics is a science.…
The African American Crisis The strife of the double-consciousness is still strongly understood and felt today I 've had my own experiences but I won 't allow that to change me. As a African American it 's easy to understand what Du Bois means by the destruction of a culture. Du Bois was a very influential person of his time and still is today. He empowered black people to the best of his ability. His views and knowledge were ahead of his time and difficult for not only his people but also other races to understand.…
Substance dualism is the ontological view that there exists two sorts of substances; mental and physical (material and immaterial). The existence of the substances are fundamentally distinct and exist independently of each other. If the soul can survive the death of the body, then there is the possibility of an after-life. Plato and Descartes are notorious for substance dualism which is also known as mind-body dualism, the believe that the soul is able to live on without the presence of the physical substance, the body. In this essay I will describe and assess the argument of substance dualism postulated by Rene Descartes (1596-1650).…
Dualism vs Materialism The mind/body problem, the question of what is the relationship between the mind and the body, is commonly seen as a key issue in the philosophy of the mind (Sober, 2013, p. 204). The two categories of views discussed in Sober’s ‘Core Questions in Philosophy’ that attempt to resolve the mind/body problem are dualism and materialism. Dualism is the theory that the mind and the brain are two fundamentally different substances (Sober, 2013, p. 204). Conversely, materialism says that matter is the one and only fundamental substance in nature, and the notion that mental phenomena are a result of physical interactions follows (Sober, 2013, p. 204).…
1. Compare and contrast the views of John Searle and Rene Descartes on dualism.is composed of two substances: mind and body. One is physical and one is non-phyical. Rene Descartes views on dualism are known as substance and simple dualism. He believed that reality was composed of two substances, one being the mind which consists of inmaterial thing such as thoughts and emotions.…
The view of physicalism gives a stronger and more plausible answer to the mind-body problem. There are several reasons why this particular view gives a more sensible for answer to the problem at hand. These reasons include the rationale behind the reasoning of brain research, how the different aspects of reductive physicalism is able to address the non-physical aspects of the mind, as well as the less than sensible claims that the opposing view, dualism, presents in comparison. One of the main reasons why physicalism is able to prove itself to be the better answer to the mind-body problem is based off of research that society has learned about on the brain.…
Introduction The argument whether or not the mind and the body are distinct substances raises a still on-going debate. In this essay, I proceed to give evidence as to why the Cartesian dualism theory is flawed. First, I am going to introduce a few of Descartes’ arguments and his position on the matter. Then, I will try to pick his most appealing argument and put it up against logical reasoning and other philosophers’ viewpoints. Finally, I am going to conclude how Rene Descartes proposes fallacious arguments which object his mind-body problem.…
With the evidence of science as well as lived experiences, it becomes seemingly difficult to think of the once simplistic strengths of the theory as rational and therefore accurate. Thus, Cartesian Dualism is flawed for the weaknesses only further disproves the strengths, negating the logic and rationality behind the…
Descartes is most famous for his promotion of the Cartesian dualism. However there are many alluring subjects that arises during his meditations, and the problem of other minds is one of them. This essay will answer the question how does Descartes arrive at the problem of other minds in the second mediation, and does he offer an adequate solution to it. This essay will be separated into two sections, the first section will comment on how Descartes uses the method of doubt to arrive at the problem of other minds. The second will analyze Descartes ' solution and evaluate its adequacy.…