Questions tagged [mind-body]
The mind–body problem is the problem of explaining how our mental states, events and processes—like beliefs, actions and thinking—are related to the physical states,events and processes in our bodies, given that the human body is a physical entity and the mind is non-physical.
191 questions
0
votes
1
answer
76
views
Are there promising scientific research avenues that could ultimately help resolve the debate on the nature of the mind? [closed]
The nature of the mind and its relationship to the body remains a central topic of debate in the philosophy of mind, as evidenced by overview articles such as:
Wikipedia: Mind–body problem
Britannica:...
- 4,080
2
votes
6
answers
423
views
Is the experience of love evidence that we are more than bodies and brain chemistry?
The motivation for this question comes from part of the transcript of this video:
So what do you think about that?
You can't measure love, hey? So, I would hope that Destiny, a
romantic, would ...
- 4,080
6
votes
7
answers
2k
views
Is mind-body dualism falsifiable?
I've previously asked Is epiphenomenalism falsifiable?, which was well-received, so I’d like to explore a follow-up. Are there any versions of mind-body dualism that make testable predictions, thus ...
- 4,080
2
votes
2
answers
138
views
Distinction body / individual: was Foucault the first to make it? Did he coin this expression?
You now often hear people talking about the body where one could say the individual or the people ("les gens" in French).
I've found in Foucault's Discipline & punish the following ...
- 39
3
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Is mind-body dualism necessary for mathematical Platonism?
I'm asking whether mathematical Platonism can exist without mind-body dualism because Platonism posits that mathematical objects are abstract, non-physical entities that exist independently of human ...
- 4,080
1
vote
3
answers
121
views
Does a break in consciousness mean a death of personhood?
Descartes famously states, "I exist but how often," In this statement, he assumes that in every instance of consciousness, it is him —- the same self —- that exists. If we conceive of ...
1
vote
1
answer
69
views
Could you critique my statements below about connection between mind and reality? [closed]
I've thought about reality and how it connects to the mind. Starting from the only thing we can be certain about, our existence, and principle of causality. With those I've come up with the below ...
- 11
5
votes
1
answer
170
views
How do Thomists respond to the medical condition of aphantasia?
In Thomistic epistemology having phantasms in the mind is central, out of which the mind extracts a universal, the activity of the active intellect characteristics of rational beings (like us). But ...
- 418
0
votes
0
answers
67
views
is subjective idealism or solipsism debunked because of the existence of "Brain" and "Surprise"? related to mind- body problem
reading this might help you understand my point
Idealism, Narrative and the Mind-Brain Relation
https://www.jstor.org/stable/44807008
how does someone like Berkeley explain the fact that there is ...
- 135
6
votes
2
answers
182
views
Has any philosopher written about how our reasoning relies on subtly incompatible assumptions depending on the kind of question we are asking?
I would like to know whether the following idea has already been formalized by some philosopher:
When we reason about questions for which we assume there is an objective or true answer, we rely ...
3
votes
1
answer
175
views
Chalmers' two-dimensional argument against materialism
I'm trying to understand David Chalmers' two-dimensional argument against materialism in philosophy of mind (here). I'm particularly confused by the paragraph (pp. 11-12) where he claims that it's not ...
1
vote
3
answers
136
views
Private language argument as an argument against the self and so egosim
“The words of this language are to refer to what only the speaker can
know — to his immediate private sensations. So another person cannot
understand the language.”... Immediately after introducing ...
user71399
3
votes
3
answers
162
views
Divided brain thought experiment: what is an analog of Born rule in biology? [closed]
Consider the following thoght experiment: your brain is divided in two and then each part is inserted in new body and regenerated (using future medicine), including all memories being restored. So, ...
- 823
4
votes
0
answers
68
views
Is it even possible to know, from the outside, whether a physical system is conscious?
I take it for granted that other humans, and other higher animals like chimpanzees and dogs and cats, are conscious. But is it even possible to know, from the outside, whether a physical system is ...
- 8,628
4
votes
5
answers
768
views
Does mind-body dualism entail supernaturalism?
The concept of mind-body dualism emphasizes a profound division between the mental and physical dimensions of human existence, positing the body as physical and the mind as non-physical. With this ...
user66156
1
vote
1
answer
164
views
What would it be like for a person with no senses and no motor functions at all since birth?
As a sort of thought experiment trying to go to the farthest lengths of knowing oneself from the distractions of this world, I wanted to know what it would be like for a person that was born with none ...
- 1,874
10
votes
10
answers
5k
views
What would happen if I suddenly lost consciousness?
What would happen if I (my body) suddenly lost consciousness? Let's say a freak accident caused the part of my brain responsible for connecting/creating/hallucinating my "being", my ...
- 101
2
votes
4
answers
94
views
Can individuality be copied? [closed]
Let's do a thought experiment, You are sleeping in a sensory deprivation tank 1, there is another tank next to you let's call it tank 2. Now there is a hypothetical machine M, which is a Universal 3-D ...
- 121
3
votes
0
answers
49
views
Arguments for a Socratic Daimon and Embodiment: A Dialogue between an A-pneumatic and Pneumatic: Is this coherent? [closed]
Dear all, can you help me find any inconsistencies from theory of mind, philosophy of mind and phenomenology of percetion in this dialogue?
A conversation between an a-pneumatic and a pneumatic:
A-...
19
votes
8
answers
4k
views
What, if anything, is the flaw in SMBC's "happiness-3" comic?
Today's Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal raises in interesting philosophical issue.
The comic posits a machine that makes your life perfect and happy, and asks if people would get bored of this. The ...
- 2,484
1
vote
3
answers
288
views
Should the failure to provide a naturalistic explanation for an event increase our credence in a supernatural one? An NDE case study
The question in the title, although meant to be general, is mainly motivated by a specific type of Near-Death Experience (NDE) that currently perplexes me. Specifically, I am referring to NDEs ...
user66156
2
votes
1
answer
71
views
According to theories of embodiment, am I in all my body?
According to theories of embodiment, am I in all my body? Am I in my fingernails and teeth, even when I do not feel them? If I pick up a large stick, then am I in the stick, when I poke things with it?...
user69165
1
vote
5
answers
374
views
How Can Computation Cause Consciousness?
The question of how consciousness arises and what, if any, effect it has on our behaviour is clearly both fascinating intellectually and of great practical and ethical significance. One very common ...
- 11
3
votes
3
answers
237
views
Does the use of senses require any knowledge about what is sensed? [closed]
Does the use of any sense (hearing, sight, pitch, proprioception, heat/cold, pain) require any knowledge about what is sensed in order to be used effectively?
I phrased this poorly.
I really mean &...
- 180
1
vote
0
answers
49
views
Is personhood different from personal identity?
I'm confused as to what the difference between these two terms are. Suppose that I am a cognitivist about personhood. Does this imply that higher order cognitive functions underwrite personal identity ...
- 734
4
votes
2
answers
106
views
Methodologies for exploring philosophic assumptions in media?
I am interested in exploring the philosophic assumptions present in a video game I am currently enjoying, but I am struggling to find methodologies or works that could assist me in this endeavor.
I am ...
- 329
4
votes
8
answers
2k
views
I have seven steps to conclude a dualist reality. Which of these steps are considered controversial/wrong?
Step 1: We start by believing in the bare minimum : our own subjective experience exists. This is the only thing we know to exist. The existence of other things can only be inferred. And to deny your ...
- 693
2
votes
2
answers
139
views
Why did phenomenalism fall out of favour in analytic philosophy?
Modern analytic philosophy proposes various reductionist projects to reduce phenomenal terms (like redness e.t.c) into physical terms (like neural-states, functional states e.t.c) such as for example, ...
- 21
3
votes
4
answers
521
views
Seeking Help on Cartesian Dualism and the Mind-Body Relationship
I'm currently studying philosophy and I'm struggling with the concept of Cartesian dualism, particularly in relation to other theories about the mind-body relationship. I'm wondering if anyone here ...
- 329
2
votes
1
answer
345
views
Difference between mental states and mental events?
What is the main difference between mental states and mental events in philosophy of mind? I heard from a lecturer that mental events are those entities which occur instantly or in short period of ...
- 319
21
votes
16
answers
5k
views
Why is mind interacting with matter any more problematic than matter interacting with matter?
So there's this supposedly an 'interaction' problem for substance dualism, that isn't there for physicalism or idealism. I've never understood this.
So as Hume pointed out, we see event a followed by ...
- 3,173
2
votes
0
answers
105
views
What happens to statements like cause must precede effect for the mental events for this model?
My understanding is that for this model (epiphenomenalism (?)) is there isn't mental causation rather a kind of mapping between physical and mental events?
What happens to statements like cause must ...
- 2,324
2
votes
2
answers
280
views
What is this idea of causality being articulated?
So I wanted to ask about the kind of causality when someone says something of the sort: "Communism made these people destroy their own society" or "I have a brilliant idea now I will ...
- 2,324
3
votes
3
answers
778
views
What are the main arguments that emergence-based theories of consciousness can't solve the hard problem of consciousness?
Ever since reading Douglas Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach as a teenager I've been fascinated by the idea that consciousness is an emergent property of physical systems. Roughly the claim is that ...
- 1,006
3
votes
6
answers
567
views
Can the laws of physics rule out disembodied minds?
In this article, philosopher Evan Fales argues that the laws of physics establish that disembodied minds (such as an immaterial God, for example) could not influence the physical world. Is it true?
(...
user59388
0
votes
3
answers
596
views
Which arguments support Dualism as the best view of the human person?
If you had to choose between Dualism, Physicalism, and Hylomorphism, which one do you think is more likely to be accurate and why?
I think Dualism is the most plausible, but that might be because I am ...
3
votes
3
answers
279
views
What is the difference between control exerted by an agent and causation?
I have my own thoughts about this. Am I on the right track or is there some real philosophy that defines the concept of control differently?
In a regular cause & effect scenario the cause ...
- 3,860
0
votes
5
answers
462
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, ...
2
votes
2
answers
415
views
Does the possession of mind imply sentience and vice versa?
Definitions
I'm aware that there are differences in usage for 'sentience', 'consciousness', and 'awareness' as broadly covered (PhilSE)
So:
This question considers 'sentience' as the ability to have ...
- 196
1
vote
1
answer
235
views
Implications of Cartesian Psychophysical Dualism for free-will and determinism
For Descartes, reality consists of two fundamental substances: the mental, and the physical.
The mental substance is distinct from the physical substance in that it is not bound by the deterministic, ...
- 11
4
votes
6
answers
782
views
Critique of those missing the Hard Problem?
From everything I've ever seen about the “Hard Problem of Consciousness”, the issue is that materialists and physicalists presume a different question and answer that one instead.
I feel like the two ...
- 486
0
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What is a good representation of the mind body problem in TV or film?
I am participating in a local conversation group, and I have briefly studied the mind body problem as a philosophy minor in college many moons ago. I wasn't sure if this question was best for sci-fi, ...
- 111
5
votes
4
answers
952
views
Can you think a teleporter kills the 'real' you, and also be a physicalist?
I'm taking philosophy as a senior subject in high school, so my depth of understanding of pretty much any philosophical theory is very limited. I think I side more with a physicalist account of the ...
- 165
1
vote
5
answers
267
views
Is a physical process identical to an algorithm computing it?
I have read three questions about algorithms and their relation to the human brain.
Two recent ones:
Question on Godel's Remark on Algorithmic Nature of Mind
and:
Why doesn't Searle's ...
1
vote
2
answers
171
views
Is peripheral attention an example of the intentionality of consciousness?
Suppose I fix my gaze on an object, say a flower. Without moving my eyes, keeping them fixed on the flower, so with the same exact visual experience, I can "direct my attention" towards ...
- 417
1
vote
3
answers
557
views
What is the core problem of intentionality?
In the philosophy of mind, I have read that "intentionality" is a difficult thing to explain in a naturalistic fashion. But I don't necessarily see the heart of the problem in the same way ...
- 417
2
votes
3
answers
121
views
Can i take computer as example for mind and body problem? Also conscious?
Software being mind,
Hardware being body
Finally software provides the conscious to the machine
Is there any better way to explain 12 years old kid?
-1
votes
3
answers
163
views
How do philosophers transfer ideas into words?
I was contemplating reality as a simulation when I had a eureka thought. The thought (or idea) is how the simulation creator and the simulated relate to each other. It came to me all in a flash, but ...
2
votes
0
answers
35
views
What is the dichotomy called when being implicitly 'without' when one says to look 'within', and what does it mean?
I think the phrase 'Look within' is used often in the context of meditation. If someone can actually perform the act of looking within, it implicitly means that someone is currently 'without', and ...
- 354
0
votes
0
answers
158
views
Can Thomas Nagel be considered an epiphenomenalist?
Regarding the mind-body-problem, Thomas Nagel argues against both materialism and ontological dualism, presenting a view which revolves around subjective phenomena (individualism).
Could these ...
- 101