Philosophy

Questions tagged [mind-body]

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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.

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What is the difference between the spiritual and the metaphysical

According to this (old) page, metaphysics is the study of things beyond anything humans can perceive. Because of this fact, metaphysics is relatively faith-based discipline and, compared to science, ...
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Does our experience with habits lead us to believe in free will?

Notoriously intractable, free will have had no success in being proven physically. Even phenomenally it is difficult to pin down precisely. So why do people believe each other when claiming that they ...
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What is a dualists response to Sean Carroll’s QFT objection to souls?

https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2011/05/23/physics-and-the-immortality-of-the-soul/ He argues that given the universe operates on QFT, we would need to create new physics to account for ...
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Methods for telling how another creature is feeling

Assuming that there are different "beings" in this world, and that those beings have something like "emotions" (those are two big pills to swallow, I know), how do you tell whether a particular being ...
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Is it possible that I'm “God” or a special being/deity?

I know the first thing you may be thinking upon reading this, but there's more to this than you may have assumed. This is not one of those crazy questions where ego-driven maniacs simply call ...
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If my body is cloned down to the state of each particle, in which body does my consciousness persist? [duplicate]

I have always had this thought experiment that troubled me. If I could clone my body and my mind down to the exact molecules and atoms (which means there are two of my bodies that are exactly the same,...
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How can we describe consciousness?

Humans consist of complex physical materials. However, we determine and experience our lives through numerous spiritual moments. Should consciousness be described as an outcome of physical matter and ...
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Is dualism unlikely because the mind is inextricable in its activity from matter?

I've been thinking about dualism lately, but one thing that deals a pretty strong blow to this view in my mind is that it implies that the mind can exist apart from physical reality (an immaterial ...
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Reverse epiphenomenalism and recursion?

Let's say for a moment that the mind is of unknown substance, and that the state of a particular brain region is emergent from it. That is certain states of the mind will cause certain states of this ...
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Is color intrinsic to light?

Is there any proof to Sir Isaac Newton's claim that color exists only in the mind? That there is nothing intrinsically blue about light with a short wavelength. To us it would look the same whether ...
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What is the argument posed by Katherine Hayles in “The Condition of Virtuality” as to the relation between matter and virtuality and why?

I am learning in class of the influence the new media have on old-aged dichotomies such as matter-mind, subject-object and their like. Our new-media teacher asked us to read the paper "The condition ...
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According to physics, do our visual thoughts (possibly others) appear to be not real because they occupy physically inaccessible higher dimensions?

I wanted to know how physics explain the mind.I will first share my thoughts on whether thoughts are real or that the mind is real (Mind is the arena where we have thoughts). I think we usually ...
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Did consciousness always exist?

Speaking of Stuart Hameroff and Sir Roger Penrose: "Both of them now believe that consciousness, as the interplay of fine-scale quantum events, may have always existed in the universe." - ...
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Has any philosopher discussed pre-cognitive or pre-linguistic conceptualization?

To get an idea of what I'm talking about one may pay close attention to their own thought process. It may become evident that one can gain awareness of certain conceptual assemblages. If awareness at ...
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How does Descartes argue that mind and body are different substances if mind can exist without a body?

How does Descartes argue that mind and body are different substances if mind can exist without a body? I think he does this in meditation II Descartes’ argument so far is that minds can exist ...
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How to make sense of minds of others? [closed]

I've asked a question about the criteria for existence, but here I want to focus on a particular aspect. What does it mean If I say: Bob has a mind - Bob's mind exists - Bob is not a philosophical ...
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How does Chalmers' “hard problem” differ from the “mind-body problem”?

They both seem be be asking how neurological processes can give rise to consciousness. Is there a real difference between the two questions, or is one just a reformulation of the other?
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Do human thoughts interact with matter? [closed]

In a Dan Brown book, the author claims that thoughts can interact with matter, and the entire field of study associated with this is called "Noetic Sciences". Is this actually true? What is the ...
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Do all arguments against mind-body identity theory assume that every pain is the same?

I don’t get (any of) the arguments against mind-brain identity theories. It’s usually argued that multiple realisability kills MBIT (see also this post). In a talk I attended it was stated as ...
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Is there an argument against physicalism on the grounds that the view would make what we call a subjective experience astronomically unlikely?

If we assume that physcialism is true and all that there is, then we can safely assume that what we think of as subjective experience and consciousness, is driven by the atoms in our brain and the ...
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Would it be immoral to enslave your own simulated mind?

The following story has been envisioned in White Christmas episode (part II) of Black Mirror television series (see the short clip): Matt greets the confused and terrified "Greta cookie" ...
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Can science prove or provide evidence that the brain is the source of the mind

I am seeking published discussions or arguments about this proposition, though some discussion here would be useful: Science can prove or provide significant evidence that the brain is the source ...
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Is there a world behind you when you do not look behind your back? [closed]

There is a very famous philosophical question that almost all of us have heard before: If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? My question is a little ...
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Is God's disembodiment problematic?

I understand that most (though not all) Christians believe that God is disembodied. God cannot be corporeal because that would preclude his being eternal, immutable, and simple, for example. ...
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If I upload my brain into a computer is it still me?

I think the answer is yes but I know a lot of people disagree. So, I would like to ask these people when exactly does it stop being me. Let's say I want to upload my brain into a computer using the ...
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Does Descartes explain or define how the sensation mechanism works?

Especially in Meditation 2, Descartes uses "sense", "sensation" many times when he argues for the mind-body distinction. But does he explain the sensation mechanism? I wonder this because it seems to ...
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What feelings are unique to humans?

What differentiates humans from machines? We feel. We want to feel pleasure and to abstain from pain. Now, I can build (with a little help of my friends) a machine that will alert/make sound whenever ...
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Can mind-body dualism be modelled by computer programs and their corresponding logic gates at the physical level?

If we a consider complex computer program (such as an operating system) running on an unknown architecture, then somebody observing the computer program at the logic gate level may be able to gain a ...
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For interactionist dualism, what is the mechanism that allows the mind to interact with the body?

I've looked everywhere for this answer but still can't find anything. If the mind and body are separate substances how can the mind interact with the body? What's the mechanism for the interaction?
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What are book recommendations on Philosophy of Consciousness by contemporary authors?

I am looking for a book that is more focused on the philosophy of consciousness(rather than general topic of Phil. of Mind) which takes up the hard problem as a major theme. Can you guys give me ...
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What good books are there on the mind–body problem?

What good books are there on the mind–body problem? I would be especially curious whether there are any well-written books about the "mind vs. brain" problem and related questions like the hard/soft ...
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Why does Descartes think that we know our mind better than we know our body?

According to Descartes we know our own mind better than we know bodies. Why does he think so? How can this view be criticized?
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Are there many minds or is there only one?

"If a lion could speak, we cannot understand it" - Ludwig Wittgenstein Machines vs Chaos of Human Language Mathematical Consensus Is a proof still valid if only the author understands it? ...
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Is feminism necessarily trans-exclusionary?

Transgender rights and feminism in the US are both considered part of the cultural left's causes, but it occurred to me that one might perceive an inherent tension between the two: The basis of ...
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Does it make sense to say that consciousness does not exist or there is no such thing?

Does it make sense to say that consciousness does not exist or there is no such thing? I've not taken any classes in reductionism, but it seems reductionst. How would philosophy of mind and ...
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How can Epiphenomenalism explain the brain's belief in the mind without invoking divine intervention?

Epiphenomenalism is a mind-body dualist proposal that states that the brain can affect the mind but the mind cannot affect the brain. However, it has a big problem. It doesn't explain why the brain ...
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According to Cartesian substance dualism, would it be possible for an individual's mind to be replaced by another mind?

Say an individual's Cartesian mind has been removed from that person (somehow). Would it be possible (in principle) for another mind to take over the "mindless hulk" of an individual?
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Article on Daniel Dennett's view of the mind-body problem?

I am taking my first philosophy class; is there a relatively short article (<30 pages preferably) on Dennett's view of the mind-body problem? I have read his "Where am I", but that just seems like ...
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wouldn't Psychophysical Parallelism require an explanation as to why the mind and body correlate?

One thing I don't understand about Psychophysical Parallelism, is that it states that the mind and body are perfectly coordinated, yet there is no causal relationship between them. If this is true, ...
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Can emergent substance dualism account for why creatures have consciousness without invoking a divinity giving it to them?

Emergent dualism is a view where consciousness is a substance that arises due to a certain arrangement of matter. So, can this explain that consciousness as a fundamental substance, can be given to ...
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For substance dualism, what are some solutions regarding how the physical can affect the mental without invoking Divine intervention?

In epiphenomenalist substance dualism, what can be a mechanism for how the physical affects the mental without invoking divine intervention? Epiphenomenalist dualism is where the physical can affect ...
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How can one solve the problem of telekinesis in interactionist dualism?

Interactionist dualism states that the mental can effect the brain and vice versa. However, there is the problem of possible telekinesis. If the mind can effect the physical, shouldn't we be able to ...
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What is wrong with the following argument for dualism?

In listening to the following philosophy of mind lecture by John Searle, and he mentions in passing the following argument against materialism (starting around 43 minutes into to the lecture): ...
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Are dualism and the theory of evolution compatible?

From an evolutionary point of view there is a continuous gradient of intelligence (in the larger sense of the term), from lower life forms with no intelligence at all to higher life forms that exhibit ...
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Genuine singular term vs. non genuine singular term

I am reading "The Varieties of Reference" by Gareth Evans and there is that term "genuine singular term". I know what a singular term is but when is it "genuine"? Does someone have an idea?
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Is Artificial Intelligence (AI) a measure of a computers intelligence? Or, our own? [closed]

Fellow Citizens of Earth: During our digital age of privacy laws, data breaches, and consumer profiling; the distinct split happening within psychological minds of individuals needs to be addressed. ...
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Is there any way to have substance dualism without invoking God?

Can one solve these objections to substance dualism without invoking divine intervention? 1.Causal interaction 2.Brain damage affects mind 3.Why do only living things with brains have consciousness?...
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According to Descartes, the mind and body communicate through a tiny part of the brain (the pineal gland) where the 'common sense' is located

True or False? I'm unsure about this question because it seems like he only refers to the mind and the brain in this context, but not the body as a whole. Here's the passage: "The mind isn't ...
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As someone studying philosophy and applying it to my life with success, how far does one take the ideals learnt?

I am studying several philosophers and applying all the knowledge I am learning into a 'melting pot' of ideals and characteristics I am applying to my life to better myself and attempt to live more ...
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Consciousness doesn't need your body - a thought experiment

1) During a deep sleep, your consciousness deactivates to reactivate upon awakening 2) During a deep sleep, you are narcotized and killed, to be replaced instantly by an identical copy, which wakes ...

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