As of May 31, 2023, we have updated our Code of Conduct.

Questions tagged [mind]

The tag has no usage guidance.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
12 votes
8 answers
3k views

Does the computational theory of mind explain anything?

In science, when you theorize that X reduces to Y, you propose a theory that links X and Y in some causal way. Physicists don't just say, "What you experiences as a gas is really a swarm of fast-...
David Gudeman's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
15 views

Is anything known about the physical, neural, mental, and/or logical characteristics or conditions of “wanting”?

I do not mean the word “wanting” itself, since a word can refer to many things, or a spectrum of qualities that may or may not be seen a connected thing or not. If we try to identify a more clear ...
hmltn's user avatar
  • 449
0 votes
2 answers
112 views

What's the solution to the problem of other minds? [duplicate]

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/other-minds/ I have never understood what the solution to the problem of other minds is. At first, the article said that: "One standard line of reply to this ...
Johnny5454's user avatar
15 votes
6 answers
4k views

Why do some physicalists use the Turing Machine as a model of the brain?

It has always puzzled me when people casually make comments like "Since the brain is a Turing Machine...". Just to clarify: I'm talking about generic discussions, not philosophical journals ...
David Gudeman's user avatar
-3 votes
4 answers
364 views

Can minds be uploaded in computers?

The idea runs around of loading minds up in computers. It's a recurring theme in SF culture and thought about the technological possibilities in the future. We can read on Wikipedia: Mind uploading, ...
Pathfinder's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
97 views

How can the sensation of pain be explained materialistically?

Physicalism, be it reductionist or holistic, tries to explain every phenomenon by materialisic processes. These can be seen as noumenon, existing independently of human beings. But the true nature of ...
Pathfinder's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
99 views

If Integrated Information theory is correct, might ant colonies and beehives be conscious and self aware?

Julio Tononi proposes that consciousness arises when information is extensively processed and shared between components of a system (like the brain). Ants and bees (and some fungi) share chemical ...
Dimitri Kutuzov's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
232 views

What is meant by other minds?

I recently asked about the argument for proving the existence of other minds. This argument is called the best explanation argument. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/other-minds/#BestExpl Could you ...
Johnny's user avatar
  • 11
2 votes
3 answers
187 views

What is the role of mental images in the perception of absence?

In the book “Metaphysics, a very short introduction” by Stephen Mumford, near the end of Chapter 9 titled “Is nothing something?”, I read the following puzzling lines: “Jean-Paul Sartre discussed the ...
exp8j's user avatar
  • 341