lecture 2 Flashcards
(19 cards)
Materialism
-Everything is physical nothing is above physical.
-There are no mental substances
-The mind is part of the natural world
Non-reductive materialism
- while the mind is grounded in the physical brain, mental states have unique qualities that cannot be entirely explained by physical science.
Reductive materialism
-Mind = Brain: Mental states, like emotions or thoughts, are identical to physical processes, such as neurons firing in the brain.
3 creatures of consciousness
1- Sentience: having subjective experience (sensation, perception)
2- Wakefullness: actively using the state.
3-Self awareness: consicoulsy reflecting on myself
Phenomenal consciousness
subjective quality of an experience (what is it like) ex: anger, sadness, happiness
Qualities of qualias
1- Only accessible to you
2- specific experiential character
3- well defined temporal boundaries ( when the pain is gone qualia is gone)
Access consciousness
refers to the type of consciousness where information in your mind is available for use—meaning you can think about it, talk about it, and act on it. It’s the kind of consciousness involved in reasoning, decision-making, and directing behavior. (thinking about my homework)
what is the zombie argument?
If it’s conceivable for being to have all my properties except my qualia, then it is possible for there such a being. Then qualias are not physical properties.
Against arguments for philosophical zombie ?
1- It is not conceivable for one thing to have all my physical properties and not my qualia.
2- Why doe we think that if we can conceive it is possible? maybe our conception is wrong.
Knowledge argument
Knowing everything about one thing doesn’t provide us the subjective experience of it. (If we know everything about banans do we know what it is like to be a banana?) ( Mary example)
Arguments against knowledge argument?
1- Maybe Mary didn’t know everything about the red color.
2-Once she knows everything she will know what it is like to see the color red.
Explanatory Gap argument?
The inability to explain how physical processes create subjective experience (qualia).
(example:we can explain how pain is caused, what it causes, and how it is realized: how can we thereby explain how pain feels like and why it feels like the way it does?)
Arguments against Explanatory Gap ?
example: theories of consciousness: global workspace , neural correlates of consciousness
What is the Global workspace theory ?
consciousness is like a spotlight, where certain information is made widely available to the brain for decision-making, while other processes stay in the background.
(While walking, you’re not consciously aware of your feet moving (unconscious process), but if you suddenly trip, your focus shifts to the event, making it part of the global workspace, and you become aware of it.)
What is easy problems of consciousness?
consciousness that can be explained by studying brain processes and functions. These are considered “easy” because they involve understanding how the brain performs certain tasks, such as processing information, reacting to stimuli, and controlling behavior—things that can be addressed by neuroscience and cognitive science.
The hard problem of consicousness?
the challenge of explaining why and how we have subjective experiences or feelings—what it’s like to be aware, to feel pain, or to see colors.
Property Dualism
sa philosophical view that while there is only one kind of substance (physical matter, like the brain), it can have two types of properties: physical properties and mental properties.
Epiphenomenalism
It argues that mental states (like thoughts, feelings, and consciousness) are caused by physical processes in the brain, but do not influence the physical world in return.
How is Epiphenomenalism against property dualism?
Property Dualism: Claims that while mental properties arise from physical properties, they can still influence physical processes. For example, your desire to eat can lead to the physical action of picking up a sandwich.
Epiphenomenalism: Argues that mental states (like desires or feelings) are merely byproducts of physical brain processes and do not influence physical actions. For example, feeling hungry does not cause you to eat; it’s the brain processes that lead to the action.
