soul, mind and body

Question 1

dualism

Answer 1

the belief in two separate elements

Question 2

substance dualism

Answer 2

we are made from two substances (body and soul)

Question 3

materialism

Answer 3

we are purely physical beings

Question 4

property dualism

Answer 4

we are one substance but two aspects

Question 5

behaviourism

Answer 5

all mental states are simply learned behaviours

Question 6

5 things plato believes the soul is

Answer 6

perfect, unchanging, necessary, immortal, has true knowledge

Question 7

platos dualism

Answer 7

the soul must be separate from the body because of the world of forms - physical things change and are imperfect where as true reality is unchanging and perfect

Question 8

what things do plato think have souls

Answer 8

humans and animals have souls, plants and inanimate objects do not

Question 9

plato on the escape of the soul

Answer 9

the soul wants to escape - philosophy is the escape, through reason, remembering the forms, enlightenment by the sun in the allegory of the cave

Question 10

the tripartite soul consists of

Answer 10

the logos, the thymos, the eros

Question 11

the logos

Answer 11

the logical soul - highest attribute of the soul, guides the soul to the truth through reason

Question 12

the thymos

Answer 12

the spirited soul - concerned with emotions or feelings, part of our morality, these feelings direct to the body
eg if you feel angry, it will direct the body to respond in an angry way

Question 13

the eros

Answer 13

the desires - lowest aspect of the soul, passions and instincts, love of a sexual nature, desire for food, alcohol, being lazy

Question 14

how does the eros show the soul is slave to the body

Answer 14

outside the body, the eros has little influence, inside the body the eros is free to pursue its desires

Question 15

how the three aspects work together

Answer 15

the eros keeps us alive but must be kept in check
the thymos can help us lead a moral life, but must be kept in check
the logos is therfore the most important aspect of the soul because it keeps our spirit and passions in check

Question 16

the charioteer analogy

Answer 16

the charioteer represents the logos - ‘reason’
the white horse represents the thymos - ‘spirit’
the black horse represents the eros - ‘passions’

Question 17

why is the logos the most important aspect

Answer 17

the logos is the most important because of its ability to reason - this ability sets us apart from animals

Question 18

plato on the souls knowledge

Answer 18

the soul has all knowledge from the world of forms
when the soul enters the body, the knowledge of forms is forgotten
learning is therefore remembering the world of forms

Question 19

platos evidence - 2

Answer 19

the cycle of opposites
the slave boy

Question 20

the cycle of opposites

Answer 20

platos concept that all things have opposites, as humans we too have an opposite
the physical body is one substance and its opposite is the mind which is the second substance
our souls are immortal, unchanging, has perfect knowledge and perfect reasoning
whereas the body is unchanging, influenced by senses not reason, so does not have true knowledge

Question 21

the slave boy

Answer 21

plato did an experiment where an uneducated servant boy was able to solve geometrical puzzles even though he had no understanding of the subject
plato argues this is because the soul knows all things but is forgotten when it is trapped in the body
learning is therefore the process of remembering
we are born with an understanding of language and reasoning, although both develop later

Question 22

what is descartes method of doubt

Answer 22

before establishing what he can know, descartes seeks to doubt everything he thinks he knows

Question 23

descartes three waves of doubt

Answer 23

illusion, dreaming, deception

Question 24

illusion

Answer 24

i can doubt the reliability of my sense experience as it has deceived me in the past
eg a pencil in water may look crooked even though it isnt

Question 25

dreaming

Answer 25

i might think im awake when im actually dreaming. i might believe im looking at a computer screen but if im dreaming then my belief is mistaken

Question 26

the evil demon

Answer 26

even if im dreaming there are still basic ideas that are common to both dreams and reality. eg 1+1 = 2
descartes says that this can be doubted as an evil demon may be deceiving me and controlling my entire experience
so basically anything i think i know can be doubted - the possibility of the evil demon scenario casts doubt on everything i know

Question 27

descartes quote and translation

Answer 27

dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum
i doubt therefore i think therefore i am

Question 28

cogito ergo sum explained

Answer 28

descartes cannot doubt that he exists
the fact descartes can doubt that he exists proves that there is something for the demon to deceive in the first place

Question 29

descartes indivisibility argument

Answer 29

physical things can be divided in two infinitely - the body
non physical things cannot be divided - the mind
therefore physical and non physical things are different substances - my mind and body are separate things

Question 30

2 responses to the indivisibility argument

Answer 30

1. physical things cannot be divided infinitely
   when we reach subatomic level, energy cannot be divided
   physical things eventually becomes indivisible
2. mind is divisible
   in some cases mental illness seems divided - multiple personality disorder can be said to have a divided mind

Question 31

descartes conceivability argument

Answer 31

i have a clear and distinct idea of my mind as a thinking thing which is not extended in space
i have a clear and distinct idea of my body as a non-thinking thing which is extended in space
anything i can conceive of clearly and distinctly is something God could create
so god could create my mind as a thinking thing not extended in space and my body as a non thinking thing extended in space
so it is possible for mind and body to exist separately of each other, so mind and body are two separate substances

Question 32

behaviourist response to conceivability argument

Answer 32

mind without body is inconceivable behaviourism says that to have mental states is to have behavioural dispositions - to be disposed to move your body in certain ways - this is inconceivable if you dont have a body
so mind without body is inconceivable

Question 33

second response to conceivability argument

Answer 33

we cannot conceive of being non-physical as being physical is all we know
we can only conceive of a physical being pretending to be non physical
if we try to conceive ourselves as non physical we just end up imagining ourselves as invisible

Question 34

masked man fallacy

Answer 34

descartes claims mind without body is conceivable
but just because we can imagine a mind without a body does not mean that it can actually exist that way in reality
conceivability does not mean real world possibility
the masked man fallacy:
- i conceive of batman as a superhero
- i conceive of bruce wayne as a billionaire
- therefore bruce wayne is not batman
however, we know this is incorrect. just because it is conceivable that they are two separate people, does not mean that they are two separate people in reality.
descartes conceivability argument makes the same mistake as the masked man fallacy, just because i have the idea that mind and body are two separate things, does not mean they are separate things

Question 35

the problem of interaction

Answer 35

how can physical things interact with non physical things and how can non physical things move something physical

Question 36

princess elisabeth of bohemia’s addition to the problem of interaction. the interaction is only possible if… and

Answer 36

the soul has extension- takes up time and space (is physical)
and there must be some union between the soul and body for them to interact

Question 37

aristotle on platos view of the soul

Answer 37

aristotle rejects the dualism of plato

Question 38

for aristotle, the body and soul

Answer 38

cannot exist separately, they are each necessary for the other