Soul, mind , body

Question 1

name all the scholars involved?
7 of them

Answer 1

Aristotle
plato
descartes
ryle
Dawkins
ward
Swinburne

Question 2

define the soul

Answer 2

non-physical essence of a person

Question 3

what is Aristotles book?

Answer 3

‘de anima’

Question 4

what did Aristotle argue about the soul? was it forever in the body or left the body after death?

Answer 4

soul = telos
the soul dies with the body as once telos fulfilled , no longer needed

Question 5

what type of souls did Aristotle argue there is?

Answer 5

plant
animals
humans

Question 6

what were the differences between the three souls?
explain the three

Answer 6

plants have a ‘nutritive’ soul, have no ability to reason
animals have a ‘perceptive’ soul, have senses to react to stimuli
humans have higher degree of soul, ability to reason and tell right from wrong

Question 7

why was the soul important with dead and living things for Aristotle?

Answer 7

argued its what distinguished a living thing from a dead thing

Question 8

what was Aristotles analogy of a wax stamp to illustrate his idea about the soul?

Answer 8

soul inseparable from the living body, the same way shape stamped into a block of wax is inseparable.

Question 9

in the wax analogy what does:
1. the wax present?
2. the imprint by the stamp present?

Answer 9

1. body
2. soul

Question 10

finish the quote by Aristotle
“the soul in some…”

Answer 10

“the soul in some sense is the principle of animal life” - de anima

Question 11

what was Plato’s book?

Answer 11

Phaedo

Question 12

what was plates argument about whether or not the soul is present after death or not?

Answer 12

dualist - should present after death and body and soul two distinct things

Question 13

why did plato argue the soul must always exist?

Answer 13

soul gives the person life and essence so it must always have life, it would contradictory for the soul to die

Question 14

what was the analogy of a boy solving a puzzle
explain and what book?

Answer 14

‘meno’ book
boy with no education given a geometry puzzle to solve
the body is able to work out the answer , for plato the boy must have been using knowledge he already had from BEFORE birth , the innate knowledge evidence of knowledge attained before birth, which our souls would have lived in the world of the perfect forms

Question 15

what was plates chariot metaphor?

Answer 15

chariot being pulled by two horses
2x horses =
1. appetite
2. emotion
they both pull us along and motivate us
the charioteer - reason, who hold reins to make sure 2 horses work together

Question 16

in platos tripartite analogy what is he charioteer representing?

Answer 16

reason

Question 17

why did plato argue the soul and body are separate, other than the soul be present in the world of the forms?

Answer 17

soul immortal , body isn’t , two things of different natures cannot be joined

Question 18

what was platos ‘myth of er’ ?

Answer 18

story - told through the mouth of socrates
er = a soldier who died on a battlefield
ten days later when war over, no signs of Er’s body decomposing
er came back to life and was able to tell everyone about his experience of afterlife

Question 19

is the story of the ‘myth of er’ what did er tell the listeners about once he had died?

Answer 19

encountered judges , who rewarded and punished the souls of those who died
those with morally good lives went upward
those who has been immoral punished and had 10x pain what they had done
souls also choose a new life for themselves on earth
only those of philosophical understanding chose a new life of peace and justice and benefitted

Question 20

what does the myth of er meant to demonstrate according to other scholars?

Answer 20

necessity of seeking wisdom through philosophy for the soul to benefit , each person has a conscious choice to make about their next life

Question 21

what was descrates book?

Answer 21

‘meditations’

Question 22

within his book, what did Descartes want to argue about the soul/mind and body?

Answer 22

there is a clear distinction between the soul/mind and the body - dualist

Question 23

what is hyperbolic doubt?

Answer 23

their of doubting everything to identify beliefs that are absolutely certain

Question 24

through hyperbolic doubt, what did descartes do?

Answer 24

thought about all things that could be known , rejects them if there was any doubt of their truth

through doing this able to establish what beliefs have endurance and stability

Question 25

was descartes a rationalist or empiricist?

Answer 25

rationalist because argued we couldn't trust our senses as they can deceive us

Question 26

what was the one fact descartes couldn't doubt?

Answer 26

'first certainity', the fact he could think , he couldn't doubt his own existence as a thinker , he would have to exist as a thinker to be doubting

Question 27

what is the famous quote by descartes about thinking?

Answer 27

"I think, therefore, I am" - first certainty

Question 28

why did descartes argue the mind and body have to be separates substances?

Answer 28

the mind cannot be doubted whereas the existence of the body can be doubted mind = spiritual body = physical both have different properties

Question 29

what did descartes are about the pineal gland?

Answer 29

'the principle seat of the soul' arguing the pineal gland controlled our imagination, senses and bodily movement and memory only one pineal gland where the material person and immaterial soul connect

Question 30

whats substance dualism?

Answer 30

the idea the mind and body are different substances

Question 31

what was Gilbert ryles book?

Answer 31

'the concept of mind'

Question 32

was ryle a materialist or dualist?

Answer 32

materialist

Question 33

why did Ryle criticise a dualist approach to the mind and body?

Answer 33

mistake to use language to talk of the soul existing beyond the physical body

Question 34

what analogy did Ryle use to explain his understanding?

Answer 34

the concept of a cricket match all players have tactic during the game ask where the team spirit is when watching the game as if its something physical to be found

Question 35

why did Ryle criticise descartes? what is 'the ghost in the machine?'

Answer 35

argues category mistake to say there was a separate mind and body 'the ghost in the machine' analogy used as if we were the physical machined being operated by some kind of invisible mind the mind isnt something extra in addition to the body , its the behaviour

Question 36

why did Ryle believe the mind and body cannot be separate substances?

Answer 36

through knowledge of psychology and neuroscience , doesn't fit with their view

Question 37

why did Dawkins reject the dualist approach to the soul , mind and body?

Answer 37

because materialist view rules out the possibility of life after death since consciousness physical phenomena , once the brain died , consciousness must also end

Question 38

what was Dawkins book?

Answer 38

'the selfish gene'

Question 39

what did Dawkins argue humans only are?

Answer 39

'survival machines' animals no different to animals , discounting the idea humans have a soul people only interested in replicating themselves in order to survive for the next generation

Question 40

Dawkins wrote about 'soul one and soul two' , what is soul one? did Dawkins reject or accept this idea?

Answer 40

claims soul distinctive spiritual supernatural part of a person, capable of knowing God and surviving after death Dawkins rejected this idea

Question 41

Dawkins wrote about 'soul one and soul two' , what is soul two? did Dawkins reject or accept this idea?

Answer 41

someones personality and individuality , have a life and motivated to make choices accepts because doesn't include the possibility of life after death , and no connection to divine

Question 42

finish the quote by Dawkins: "life is just...."

Answer 42

"life is just bytes and bytes of digital information'

Question 43

what was wards book?

Answer 43

'defending the soul'

Question 44

what was swinburnes book?

Answer 44

'the evolution of the soul'

Question 45

what point of view did both ward and Swinburne have for the idea of the soul?

Answer 45

both defended the soul as a dualist because of christain tradition souls capable to survive after death

Question 46

why did Swinburne argue the soul can survive after death?

Answer 46

there are fundamental truth about individuals which cannot be explained in purely physical terms

Question 47

what did Swinburne argue the soul is capable off?

Answer 47

capable of logical ordered and complex thought , aware of freedom to make choices and have a moral obligation

Question 48

did Swinburne ague the soul gives us our morality?

Answer 48

yes, souls let us recognise goodness and let us know right and wrong

Question 49

who was ward arguing too in his argument?

Answer 49

responding to scientists who claim humans are just physical beings

Question 50

what did ward argue about the soul providing morality?

Answer 50

argued the soul allows us to recognise morals that are coming from God to achieve dignity of being a human being rather than an animal