Soul, mind, body

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What is the Mind-Body problem?
What is the connection between the body and mind? Are they separate things or one and the same?
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What is Ockham's Razor?
The principle which states that the simplest explanations are most likely to be correct. This avoids unnecessary or improbable assumptions.
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What is Materialism?
The belief that the soul does not exist, there is only the physical body.
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What is Dualism?
The body and soul are two separate but connected phenomena.
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Plato's version of the soul is immortal because...?
It was not created; it has no beginning or end.
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Plato's version of the soul cannot be destroyed because...?
A soul is a simple substance and thus cannot be destroyed. To destroy is to break into smaller bits. A soul is so simple it does not have bits which it can break into.
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What is the body to Plato's soul?
The body is a prison which the soul longs to be free from.
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Where do souls belong?
The transcendental realm of the Forms. This exists metaphysically, beyond the material world.
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Why does the soul HAVE to come from here?
Knowledge of the Forms has no other way of crossing from the transcendent realm to the physical realm.
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What 3 parts can Plato's soul be divided into? (Can you give the Greek name?)
1) Reason (nous)
2) Emotion/spirit (thymos)
3) Appetite/desire (eros)
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Explain the FIRST part of the soul.
Reason: allows us to gain knowledge, distinguish right from wrong and to understand the Forms.
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Explain the SECOND part of the soul.
Emotion: allows us to love, inspires acts of courage, but if left unchecked, we can become reckless and conceited
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Explain the THIRD part of the soul.
Appetite: necessary for us to look after physical needs. If left unchecked it can cause us to drift towards hedonism.
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What analogy does he give to explain the soul.
The Analogy of the Chariot: Like the charioteer controlling two wilful horses, Our emotions and appetites pull us in separate directions, reason must control them.
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Issues with Plato's theory?
Doesn't say how body and soul interact.
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How does Plato's view compare to Christian views on the soul?
Plato: soul does not have a beginning and cannot be destroyed
Christianity: God created souls and he can destroy them. To deny this is to deny His omnipotence.
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Name some of Aristotle's beliefs on the soul.
Everyone has one; not immortal; unique to each individual; no afterlife or transmigration of the soul
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What does Aristotle call the soul?
'De anima': the animating force in our body.
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Why is the soul important to the body?
The body is animated by the soul. Without it I would just be matter-bones, meat.
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In which book did he argue this?
De anima
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Where is the soul found?
In the heart
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What is his hierarchy of souls?
Human soul is the highest, then animals, then plants
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What are the 3 souls?
1) Vegetative: nutrition, reproduction
2) Appetitive: passions, appetites, emotions
3) Intellectual: reason
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What is the Nicene Creed?
Early 4th Century Christian prayer of faith, deeply rooted in the belief that there is a soul and the resurrection of the body.
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What is Monism?
The belief that there is one substance, not two. There is no distinction between the mind and body.
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What is Property Dualism?
Only one kind of substance (matter) but that matter can have two distinct properties - physical & mental
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What is Substance Dualism?
There are two wholly different substances but they can interact and have an effect on each other.
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What is Soft Materialism?
Only physical substances, but they can develop mental properties within physical.
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What is Hard Materialism?
Only physical matter exists, there is no mental.
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Who posited Substance Dualism?
Rene Descartes
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What is rationalism?
Using reason as a guide for a belief
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Where is the link between the body and soul? How?
The Pineal Gland. The mind exerts control over the body from here
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What is his interactionism theory?
The body is casually affected by the mind, which produces mental events. e.g. if I hit a hammer on finger it causes the mind to feel pain.
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What is Cartesian Skepticism?
Descartes' Method of Doubt, found in his work 'Meditations'
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What is the Method of Doubt?
He used '3 Waves' of doubt to remove knowledge which was false, so that he could rebuild his knowledge on solid foundations.
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What are the 3 Waves of Doubt?
1) Senses and Illusions
2) Dreams
3) The Evil Demon
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Explain the First Wave
Our senses can deceive us- perspective makes things look smaller
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Explain the Second Wave
Even if we can trust our senses, our dreams can be similar to what we perceive through out senses and yet not real, and so we cannot trust them either
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Explain the Third Wave
There could be an evil demon tricking me about everything I physically experience so I cannot trust anything physical.
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What is the only thing Descartes knows for certain? Why?
The only truth he knew is that HE EXISTED because it was he who doubted.
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What quote explains this? (In Latin?)
"I think therefore I am"
(Cogito ergo sum)
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How does this link to Mind-Body Problem?
His body can be doubted, but is certain of his mind because he is able to doubt and form opinions. His mind must exist, and it is immaterial
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Who is Gilbert Ryle and why is he important?
British philosopher; provides a critique of dualism
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What book did he write his critique in?
"The Concept of Mind"
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What does Ryle argue Descartes is guilty of?
Descartes makes a 'category error'
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What is a category error?
An incorrect use of language- Descartes treats the mind as if it is an extra thing within the person
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What does Ryle describe Descartes theory as?
'The Ghost in the Machine'
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Why does he call it this?
Descartes gives an unnecessary explanation for the mind. The body is merely mechanical, it is not being controlled by some distinct 'ghost' (the mind)
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What example does he give to explain his critique?
Someone watching a cricket game and then asking where the team spirit is- there is no seperation
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How is Ryle's theory behvaiourist?
Mental processes such as thinking, feeling, willing are not distinct from behaviour. Mental processes can be revealed through people's actions.
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What does he say about the idea of a mind?
Rejects the idea that knowledge, memory exist in a world separate to the physical world. The mind is not a 'place' which these things exist 'within'.
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What does John Hick argue?
We are our bodies, but those bodies have a spiritual dimension (Soft Materialism)
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What does G.E.M Anscombe argue?
Bodily actions describe how the body is working, but not why. The soul gives purpose to the actions of the body
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Give Anscombe's key quote
"Bodily act is an act of man qua spirit"
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What does Richard Dawkins argue?
No part of a human is non-physical. Behaviour is determined by our genetic make-up. Mental activities can be explained by neuroscience, chemicals.
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What does he describe humans as?
Purely 'survival machines'
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Dawkins says there are 2 versions of souls. Explain them.
Soul One: dualist idea of separate soul.
Soul Two: Intellectual, spiritual power with developed moral faculties.
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Name of Dawkins' book?
The Selfish Gene
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What does B.F Skinner argue?
All thoughts and actions are learnt behaviour; mental acts are caused acts (e.g. Pavlov's Dog)
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The principle which states that the simplest explanations are most likely to be correct. This avoids unnecessary or improbable assumptions.

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Card 4

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What is Dualism?

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Card 5

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Plato's version of the soul is immortal because...?

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