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10 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Intro |
There are 2 substances- mind (soul) and matter You/your mind exists independently of your material body Religious agenda |
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Mind and body are distinct substances |
Matter is res extensa (extended substance) Mind is res cognita (mental substance) |
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Proof 1- Argument from Doubt |
I think therefore I am 1) I can doubt my body exists 2) but i cant doubt that i exist as a thinking thing (doubting=thinking) 3) therefore, i am not identical with my body |
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Proof 2- Argument from divisibility and non divisibility |
1) all bodies are extended in space =divisible 2) minds are not extended in space= non-divisible 3) minds are radically different from bodies A chair cannot be divided, but qualia cannot be |
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Proof 3- Argument from clear and distinct perception |
1) whatever I clearly perceive as 2 different things can be created by God as 2 different things 2) I have a clear idea of my body as an extended non-thinking thing 3) I have a clear idea of myself as a non-extended thinking thing 4) so I and my body can exist apart from each other 5) I am distinct from my body |
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Argument from Doubt criticism |
- Most scientists think consciousness is a part of the brain, and the brain is part of the body. Without body=no mind. - Therefore, I cannot doubt my body exists |
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Argument from divisibility criticism |
- argument = false - Neuroscience shows there is a close correlation between mind+brain - When the brain is damaged, the mind can also be damaged = divisible |
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Argument from perception criticism |
Circular argument -> Descartes deduces the existence of God from clear perceptions -> deduces the reliability of clear perception from the existence of God |
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The Ghost in the Machine |
Gilbert Ryle -It's a category mistake - You visit a uni and see many colleges, libraries etc, but where is the uni?? - answer is, theres no uni over and above all the component parts - 'university' means a sum of all the parts,making it a term from a different category - therefore, you should not expect to find a 'mind' over and above all the various parts of the body + it's actions |
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Interactionism |
- The pineal gland is the point in which the mind controls the body - doesn't work- it shows where the interact but not how - if the self is a separate, mental thing it is hard to see how it engages with the physical world - now, we know the pineal gland is used for sleep regulation (Descartes didnt know) - 17th century science-mechanistic view of the physical universe, so he tries to find a mechanical way for thought to make a physical difference |
