- how do mental substances (not extended + no physical force) affect physical substances (extended + moved by physical forces)?
Materialist view
P1 - movement of physical object only initiated by some physical force exerted at some point in space
P2 - if dualism is true, mind is not in space + cannot exert anything physical
C - ∴ dualism is false or mind cannot cause any part of body to move
RESPONSE
PEoB: in own experience, mind causes body to move
CRITICISM
How? No evidence
RESPONSE
PEoB: "soul has properties that we don't know" - soul could be extended bc not inconsistent for that to happen
- Descartes: third basic notion of union between mind + body (something else to enable causal interaction)
CRITICISM
No evidence
- Descartes: mistake to understand mind's power to act on physical bc mental causation is different
CRITICISM
- how is this possible? - how can something physical cause changes in mind + vice versa
Law of conservation of energy
P1 - if mind (as non-physical substance) could move body, total amount of energy in closed system universe would increase
P2 - ∴ if mind could move moody, law of conservation of energy wouldn't apply + universe wouldn't be closed system
C - ∴ bc what is causing physical change in universe is not itself physical, physics cannot give us complete + correct account of physical energy in universe
How can mind move body?
- current science indicates physical movements caused by physical events in brain
RESPONSE
- mind -> brain -> body
CRITICISM
- no eveidence of mind changing brain
RESPONSE
- no evidence to contrary - neuroscience can't account for complicated causation involved + could explain some events in brain caused by mind
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