Substance Dualism is a theory of mind that asserts the thesis that there exists the mind (nonphysical) and the body (physical) and that they are two distinct substances. Moreover, it identifies a being immediately with their mind and only secondarily with their body. Logical Behaviorism is branch of philosophical behaviorism. Behaviorism, essentially, is the thesis that mental states, if they exist, are identical to behavioral states. Logical Behaviorism posits that descriptions of mental states are reducible to descriptions of behavioral states. So for example, to say someone is in pain is to say they are exhibiting the behaviors usually associated with pain. Further, it posits that all that one needs to know about mental states can be observed through…
Philosophy of the Mind Part One In his argument against publicity requirement within the scientific community, Goldman questions the use of observation as a way of forming a belief for a statement to be considered as a piece of scientific evidence. As he states, no other belief-forming method can be employed apart from observation for the statement in question to qualify as a piece of scientific evidence. This does not exempt the fact that the use of any other belief-forming method can as well…
When talking about dualism in Philosophy of mind we recognize is the theory that the mental and the physical are in sense different from one another. John Searle is an American philosopher who states that there is no more a mind and body problem. He is careful to maintain that the domain of experience and understanding is autonomous. Meaning that it has no counterpart on microlevel. But as we already know not everyone thinks in the same way, like Renè Descartes who believed that the mind makes…
A.I Artificial Intelligence, a film by Steven Spielberg, tells the Pinocchio-esque story of David, a robotic boy who goes on a journey, in search of a Blue Fairy, so that he can become a real boy and earn the love of Monica, his human mother. Dealing with the idea of artificial intelligence and the question of whether or not a machine can have a mind, this film touches on the philosophy of John. R Searle - whose main thought experiment, The Chinese Room, argues that no matter how a computer…
The nature of the mind in relation to the body is a widely debated and unsolved topic that has plagued the human quest for truth. The question has deep philosophical roots and has several titles, for example, the mind-body problem, mind-body interaction problem, or the hard problem of consciousness. Prima facie, the question may appear unnecessary as we ourselves obviously have minds, and we can physically feel and experience the world around us. Descartes famously stepped up the game on this…
What is functionalism? The Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy defines it as “Functionalism is a theory about the nature of mental states. […] mental states are identified by what they do rather than by what they are made of.” It is a way of defining consciousness that can account for both problems of mental causation and multiple realization which seemed to be problematic in two other definitions of Behaviourism and Identity Theory. The pros and cons of the theory revolve around the questions…
pleasure from this experience and limited pain, however, we are inclined to value the effort given to the action just as much as the outcome. This suggests that pleasure is not the most important element to overall well-being. Whilst unaware of this at the time, the satisfaction cannot be considered true satisfaction as it has not met my criteria of desires. This kind of blissful ignorance whilst in the machine surely doesn’t outweigh the risk of true satisfaction in reality. The machine is…
The Difference between Hoping, and Expectation- A Guide for Game Day Preparation During soccer season, players are trained to prepare, plan, and practice. They have mastered, and learned different plays to confuse, and conquer a competitor. In the event of a lapse of preparation of the mind or body, the player’s performance will suffer. Prior planning and preparation will ensure the prevention of poor performance. While planning and preparation is required in many aspects of life, this guide…
The Hornswoggle Problem In this paper I will examine “The Hornswoggle Problem” in which Patricia Chruchland makes some strong claims on the argument about consciousness. I agree with Chruchland’s argument on about that Chalmers argument on consciousness isn’t a good argument. my conclusion is that Chalmers makes some valid points which helps make his argument an ok one but not strong enough for it to be a good one. I will show parts of what Chalmers is saying is a valid to his argument and what…
ID: 3031785238 1. In Smart’s paper Sensations and Brain Processes, he introduces the “identity theory” in which he states that mental states are physical states of the brain. This stems from physicalism, the idea that mind is the interior cause of behavior and mental states are biochemical processes in the brain.1 Smart would consider identity statements, such as “pain is the firing of C-fibers” as contingently true. Smart argues that the statement “pain is the firing of C-fibers” is…