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All 8 Flashcards — The mind–body problem
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Question
The mind–body problem?
Answer
Is a person one thing (a body) or two (a body plus a separate mind)?
Question
Dualism?
Answer
You are two things: a physical body and a separate, non-physical mind (Descartes).
Question
Physicalism?
Answer
You are one thing: a physical body; the mind just IS the brain at work.
Question
Descartes' argument for dualism?
Answer
I can doubt I have a body but not that I'm thinking — so mind and body must be two different things.
Question
The interaction problem?
Answer
If the mind is non-physical, how could it ever move the physical body? Dualism's deepest weakness.
Question
One strength of dualism?
Answer
It fits the feeling that thoughts aren't physical — you can't weigh a thought or scan a feeling directly.
Question
One strength of physicalism?
Answer
It fits brain science: damage the brain and the mind changes, so mind and brain seem tightly linked.
Question
Physicalism's weak spot?
Answer
It struggles to explain the inside feel of experience (Nagel's 'what it's like'; see 1.3.1).
Read the notes
Full study notes for The mind–body problem
Topic 1.3 hub
Consciousness
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