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How do you know you have a mind? How do you know the person next to you has a mind? What is a mind? psychlotron. org.uk

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Page 1: How do you know you have a mind? How do you know the person next to you has a mind? What is a mind? psychlotron.org.uk

How do you know you have a mind?

How do you know the person next to you has a mind?

What is a mind?

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Page 2: How do you know you have a mind? How do you know the person next to you has a mind? What is a mind? psychlotron.org.uk

Today we will…

Examine the mind-body problem Distinguish between what people mean

by ‘mind’ and ‘body’ Discuss some different approaches to

the mind-body relationship including: Cartesian dualism Materialism (mind-brain identity) Emergentism

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Page 3: How do you know you have a mind? How do you know the person next to you has a mind? What is a mind? psychlotron.org.uk

What is the difference between ‘brain’ and ‘mind’?

First person ontology

I have sensations, thoughts, feelings,

intentions…

Third person ontology

A person is a body with a brain that behaves in

particular ways…

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Page 4: How do you know you have a mind? How do you know the person next to you has a mind? What is a mind? psychlotron.org.uk

Mental states

Are conscious They involve a subjective experience of

thinking, perceiving, imagining etc. Are private

They are not open to inspection by anyone other than the person who has them

Have ‘intentionality’ Are always ‘about’ something

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Page 5: How do you know you have a mind? How do you know the person next to you has a mind? What is a mind? psychlotron.org.uk

The mind-body problem

How can we account for the existence of both first and third-person ontologies?

“How can a thing have a point of view?” (Dennett, 2005)

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Page 6: How do you know you have a mind? How do you know the person next to you has a mind? What is a mind? psychlotron.org.uk

Cartesian dualism

Rene Descartes (1641)

Physical

Mechanistic

Non-physical

Free-willed

Pineal gland

Bodyres extensa

Mindres cogitans

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Page 7: How do you know you have a mind? How do you know the person next to you has a mind? What is a mind? psychlotron.org.uk

Cartesian dualism

Is it possible for something non-physical to affect something physical?

Is it legitimate to use the action of God in a solution to the mind-body problem?

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Page 8: How do you know you have a mind? How do you know the person next to you has a mind? What is a mind? psychlotron.org.uk

Materialism

Mind-brain identity theory Mental states are brain states. Brain

activity is necessary and sufficient to explain mental activity (Place, 1956).

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Page 9: How do you know you have a mind? How do you know the person next to you has a mind? What is a mind? psychlotron.org.uk

Materialism

What evidence can we put forward to support the view that mental states are brain states?

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Page 10: How do you know you have a mind? How do you know the person next to you has a mind? What is a mind? psychlotron.org.uk

Materialism

What does the materialist view imply about free will?

If we provide a complete account of the brain processes that give rise to consciousness, will the mind-body problem have been solved?

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Page 11: How do you know you have a mind? How do you know the person next to you has a mind? What is a mind? psychlotron.org.uk

Emergentism

O

HH

Liquidity

Wetness

Transparency

Water molecule

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Page 12: How do you know you have a mind? How do you know the person next to you has a mind? What is a mind? psychlotron.org.uk

Emergentism

A ‘plan’ for the termite mound is not held by any individual termite

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Page 13: How do you know you have a mind? How do you know the person next to you has a mind? What is a mind? psychlotron.org.uk

Emergentism

Conscious experience

An individual neurone is not conscious, but 100,000,000,000 neurones

interacting in certain ways may give rise to consciousness as an emergent

property

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Page 14: How do you know you have a mind? How do you know the person next to you has a mind? What is a mind? psychlotron.org.uk

An ‘emergentist’ is just a dualist who is too embarrassed to use the word ‘soul’.

Discuss.

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Page 15: How do you know you have a mind? How do you know the person next to you has a mind? What is a mind? psychlotron.org.uk

‘Yes, we have a soul. But it is made of lots of tiny robots.’ (Dennett, 2005)

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