Questions tagged [philosophy-of-mind]
Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness, and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain.
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How do philosophers understand intelligence (beyond artificial intelligence)?
Do philosophers have working definitions of 'intelligence'? The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy provides a lot of references, but all of them are related to artificial intelligence and other ...
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Is materialism a self-refuting position?
I have been trying to poke a hole in the following apparently naive argument against materialism/physicalism:
The main justification for materialism is that a person doesn't believe in that which ...
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If the brain can't think, what does? [closed]
I often read in philosophical discussions (in here and elsewhere) the word "brain" connected to higher level human functions, like thought, even consciousness. If this was a scientific place,...
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Paradox of the Loving "I": Is there any theory to answer my Paradox?
I came up with this when I was reading about the Paradox of Fiction in one of my Aesthetic philosophy texts. Here it is:
The Paradox of the Loving Individual:
(1) One experiences themselves as a ...
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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 ...
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On the conceivability of philosophical zombies [duplicate]
A big question in the philosophy of consciousness is whether philosophical zombies are conceivable, and if they are, are they also metaphysically possible. I believe the answer is yes. At least, I can ...
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Digital Minds and their perception
My question is, “Would a digital mind, subject to a digital universe, perceptually be any different in its experience than an analogue mind to an analogue world in its experience?”
I guess what I ...
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Consciousness in Simulation theory & AI, why do some believe that it is even possible?
There are many famous philosophers that assume that "consciousness can be create by calculations in a computer". For example: Nick Bostrom with the simulation theory [I greatly respect and ...
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Are perceptual arguments convincing and good?
Are the perceptual arguments for the existence of other minds convincing and good?
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/other-minds/#PercKnowOtheMind
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/other-minds/#...
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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 ...
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Why judge, it makes no sense [closed]
what I mean by this is, why should I do that project or why should I just do anything other than the natural laws of human life?
Why should you care what I wear or like if it does not directly hurt ...
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Why is emotivism unpopular?
I grew up in a protestant American household. I worked hard to redefine my beliefs, epistemology, and ultimately my meta-ethical views as those that I could defend. I find that emotivism is easily the ...
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About the validity of the Zombie concept
Related Posts that I read:
why zombies' existence imply physicalism is false
"Could all of us be zombies" assumption
Context
Just to make sure we talk about the same type of Zombie, here ...
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Head thought reading by others, analyzing this hypothetical situation [closed]
Suppose a person has a feeling that others can read their mind and thoughts.
Suppose others present themselves in certain ways.
How can a person discover what algorithms of data presentation the other ...
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Does a program imply a programmer? [closed]
I propose there are 2 methods with which we could replicate consciousness.
A physical replication of the brain where consciousness would emerge from a physical replication of a brains neural network.
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Is Presentism or Four Dimensionalism compatible with being a conscious observer?
The most striking feature of our experience is the way that it is present simultaneously and persists over short intervals of time.
If we ignore illusionism how might our experience be explained by ...
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When will a Philosopher stop asking questions? [closed]
Apparently Philosophers keep asking questions and "ALL" of their questions involve some form of contradiction, or some form of critical analysis. What will be the "end game" where ...
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Was the Brain-in-a-Vat thought experiment explored philosophically before Putnam?
On SciFi.SE there's a question about the origins of "captive brains" in literature. Upon seeing the question I presumed it originated as a philosophical thought experiment (and then made it's way to ...
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Is it mathematically known what the complexity limit (and class) of a pattern to learn is, for a given machine learning algorithm? [closed]
Given a learning algorithm such as those used in ChatGPT, can we calculate based on the number of neural network parameters what the largest “pattern” the algorithm could learn would be (based on some ...
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Does anesthesia disprove solipsisim?
According to science this is what happens to brain under anesthesia:
Anesthetic drugs cause brain circuits to change their oscillation patterns in particular ways, thereby preventing neurons in ...
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Why do I have the perception of a chair (or other objects) ? - first person experience question
I'm asking variations of this question (in discussions elsewhere).
Some people seem to get what I mean, and say "I think that important etc etc but I do not know the answer" and others say &...
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Consciousness by John Searle
In a referenced interview, Searle outlines a condensed theory of consciousness with three key assumptions:
Consciousness is real, including illusions.
It is caused by brain processes (neural ...
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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-...
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Can we prove the statement "truth exists"? [closed]
It seems that to prove this statement, you cannot assume the notion of true or false, otherwise its circular, meaning that the proof contains no reference to the concepts of true or false.
This ...
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Searle's criticism to Dennets theory of consciousness
The exchange can be found here. (it's very worth reading)
Searle's and also others like Strawson accuses Dennett of denying consciousness. His term is only about the 3rd person perspective, where ...
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physio-philosophical view of the phenomenon/appearance/representation
This is somewhat a scientific question, but I presume a philosopher could have some interesting spin, or even an answer and be better fit for the question.
Why do we have a subjective perception of a ...
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'Free will' as a 'confused concept': Is Ned Block correct?
A recent episode of Robert Kuhn's web series Closer to Truth puts the question of free will to Ned Block, Professor of Psychology and Philosophy at the University of New York.
Block states 'free will' ...
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Where would consciousness be located in a machine? [closed]
The conscious thought I experience is behind my eyes and is located within my skull. I assume that experience is common. however, it may not be?
In replicating consciousness in a machine such as a ...
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Explanatory gap in explaining consciousness (custom narrative)
Summary
Logic for some views of consciousness and question.
Main Argument
We can explain motor behaviours with a clear causal path back to the brain. Each step involves the interaction of matter with ...
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How aren't Qualia and Experience the same thing (examples.)
I'm both, trying to find if this thought process is valid (reach correct conclusions in the questions) and also how are the standard interpretations different (which it seems they are.)
Definitions
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The ultimate absurdity: if consciousness is an illusion, how can anything we know be real?
Epiphenomenalism holds that conscious experience is an ineffectual by-product of brain activities. Eliminationists go further and add that this by-product is an illusion. I was wondering whether ...
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What would be the best textbook for a philosophy of mind intro course for psychology majors?
My area of expertise is logic and philosophical logic, but I'll be teaching an introductory course on the philosophy of mind to second semester psychology majors (taking cognitive science as a minor). ...
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Do undefined concepts or assumptions have to exist?
In philosophy, we have the notion that definitions are infinitely regressive if we take the attitude of trying to define everything and it is unending. But of course, the very idea of an “infinite ...
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What would be a recent follow-up or alternative to Pylyshyn's 1984 book on "Computation and Cognition: Toward a Foundation for Cognitive Science"?
I was exposed to Zenon Pylyshyn's work through my master's thesis work in Cognitive Science. Recently, I picked up his 1984 book on "Computation and Cognition: Toward a Foundation for Cognitive ...
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What does Hume think about Occam's razor?
Let's define Occam's razor as this:
That it is not rational to believe something unnecessary or extra about reality without a specific reason to believe it. In other words, the facts that are ...
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What is the difference between Anti - Realism vs. Subjective Idealism and Immaterialism?
My question is from the Metaphysical Anti - Realism's perspective which argues that "nothing exists outside mind". Are three of these philosophical approaches same terminologically? Or they ...
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What's the difference between supervenience and reduction?
From IEP, supervenience is defined as follows: F, supervenes on a class of properties, G, just in case there is no difference in F-properties without some difference in G-properties.
My question is, ...
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Consciousness and Understanding of Physics, Mathematics and Philosophy
I just finished watching a youtube video Bernard Carr - Why Did Consciousness Emerge? on consciousness and the talkers spend a great deal of time talking about emergent aspect of consciousness and its ...
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How to apply the classical theory of concepts on the mathematical concept of a limit?
I am studying the limit concept from mathematics using the classical theory of concepts. According to this theory a concept is;
"A structured mental representation which is characterised by a ...
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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 ...
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How do we know that the mind is not a physical entity?
Most people believe that the mind is separate from the physical world. But how do we actually know that? Maybe the mind is a physical object. Of course, to answer this question, we need a rigorous ...
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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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Is Solipsism self-defeating?
If only my mind existed it would have to create the concept of time but nothing can be created without time, therefore solipsism is self-defeating. Shouldn't this automatically rule out solipsism?
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Aren't we all philosophical zombies?
I've been reading about the philosophy of the mind, and I'm a bit confused. Everything I've read seems to start with the (unjustified) assumption that there is some aspect of the mind that isn't ...
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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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Side effects of scientific mind on levels of life
There are enumerous benefits of scientific temperament, as i have read so far. Its working abilities, functionality and dealings with day to day matter is fantabulous.
My question is : Do this kind ...
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Did Berkeley change his mind on his latest work "Siris" (1774)?
While studying Bishop Berkeley in depth I have faced some interesting arguments regarding his philosophy is shifted and changed on his later life.
The main source of this argument is from his not ...
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Is Taoism a philosophy?
I find some of the individual ideas in Taoism comforting when applied to my own life (e.g. effortless action, non-attachment, acceptance, duality), but I don't really know what Taoism is as an all ...
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Why am I this particular human being?
Some philosophers dismiss this as a question about a tautology: when Alice asks "Why am I Alice?", this is equivalent to her asking "Why is Alice Alice?", which is not an interesting question. But ...
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Has any philosopher written about the implications of online multiplayer games on shared consciousness?
This question originates from the explanation of Existential Comics 332.
When The Matrix came out, the New York Times reached out to philosopher of mind John Searle to write an article about the ...
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