1920 Philosophy of
Mind, Brain and
Behaviour
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,Philosophy of Mind, Brain and Behaviour - SOW-PSB2AS20E-2019-PER4-V
Substance dualism
Old theory
The mind is an immaterial substance that is distinct from the body, but causally connected to
the body then it’s difficult to embed it in science
Not endorsed by many people in science nowadays, it’s outdated
All the theories that will be discussed after, are responses to substance dualism
Preliminaries
Mind: an umbrella-term for all mental states. Can refer to e.g. the soul, the brain.
Mental: intentional and/or phenomenal
o (1) Intentionally does not specifically refer to intentions. It refers to aboutness
(thoughts are about thinks, desires/fears are about thinks). The aboutness relation is
kind of strange. E.g. the thought of a coronavirus in the head, but what the thought is
about is in the world. It’s a relation of reference: it refers to what’s about.
o (2) Phenomenality refers to the subjective experiential character that is associated
with most mental states. Sensory perceptions are phenomenality. To look at a
colour, to taste a taste, to feel a feeling. These states have a subjective character to
it. This subjective character (what’s it like) is referred to the phenomenal stage
o Most mental stages include both. Some stages are merely intentional, like
unconscious thoughts (about something, but you can’t experience them because it’s
unconscious). Some stages are merely phenomenon, like anxiousness (hard to
express what they feel anxious about, no definite intentionally).
Two kinds of dualism
Substance dualism: mind is a non-physical substance (a soul) that is causally connected to the
body most people associate dualism with this type
Property dualism: the mind is produced by the physical brain, but some of its properties
(phenomenal properties) are non-physical the mind can’t exist without the brain.
Substance dualism
The mind and the body are distinct substances that are causally connected.
Associated with Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
o His argument for substance dualism is cogito ergo sum
Two kinds of substance: extended and thinking
o Extended: substances that occupy space
o Thinking: always conscious thoughts, it’s not something that can occupy space
Quest for the foundations of knowledge: what is it that we cannot doubt? He wanted to
built a worldview based on knowledge that can not be doubted. How can you find these bits
of knowledge? Is it logically possible to doubt this? The kind of things that Descartes
doubted, are normally left undoubted.
For example: will there be a world if you open the door? It makes no sense to doubt it, but
according to Descartes it is logically possible to do, because it can be that there is no world.
He also doubted the body. We can logically doubt it, because in science fiction sometimes
brains are connected to computers.
But you can’t doubt that you are doubting. I think, therefore I am. You as a thinking thing,
must exist to be able to think.
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, The logical structure of the cogito argument
Whether or not are the thinking thing (soul) and the extend thing (the body) one and the same?
Logical principle: two things are in reality identical if they share all their properties
X = Y only when X and Y share all their properties
Why, if two billiard balls are exactly the same (size, weight, look etc.) do we say; these are
two billiard balls and not one? The property of space occupying is not the same. The each
occupy a different bit of space.
So, if you can find one property in which X and Y differ, it’s enough to say that they are not
the same thing
There is one property that my mind and body do not share:
I can doubt the existence of my body
I can not doubt the existence of my thinking
Therefore: my thinking and my body are two distinct substances
Preliminaries to logical behaviourism
Most scientists and philosophers agreed with Descartes in his time. However, there are a few
problems.
Methodological problems
If the mind is a non-physical substance, you can’t reach it from any other way than from
within. You can’t have an objective scientific investigation.
Dualism implies introspection as the only feasible scientific methodology. You can have
introspection. Everybody only has access to their own minds
Introspection is neither objective, nor intersubjective The problem is that introspection is
not objective: anyone can say anything that happens in their mind, but no one can check it.
You can’t even be sure that when two people describe something, that they actually have the
same experience.
Unconscious mental states cannot be topics of scientific research If scientific research
means introspection, than unconsciousness can’t be studied.
Response: define psychology as behavioural science
Watson and Skinner: psychological behaviourism
Watson: there is no such thing as a soul. Behaviourism is a methodological thesis for
psychological.
Skinner: “the history of human thought is nothing more than the history of what humans
have said and done” anything that can be observered from the outside
Logical behaviourism / philosophical behaviourism
Different kind of theory, opposed to psychological behaviourism
A response to logical/conceptual/theoretical problems with dualism
Gedownload door: ikarumba316 | € 912 per jaar
Dit document is auteursrechtelijk beschermd, het verspreiden van dit document is strafbaar. extra verdienen?
Mind, Brain and
Behaviour
Gedownload door: ikarumba316 | € 912 per jaar
Dit document is auteursrechtelijk beschermd, het verspreiden van dit document is strafbaar. extra verdienen?
,Philosophy of Mind, Brain and Behaviour - SOW-PSB2AS20E-2019-PER4-V
Substance dualism
Old theory
The mind is an immaterial substance that is distinct from the body, but causally connected to
the body then it’s difficult to embed it in science
Not endorsed by many people in science nowadays, it’s outdated
All the theories that will be discussed after, are responses to substance dualism
Preliminaries
Mind: an umbrella-term for all mental states. Can refer to e.g. the soul, the brain.
Mental: intentional and/or phenomenal
o (1) Intentionally does not specifically refer to intentions. It refers to aboutness
(thoughts are about thinks, desires/fears are about thinks). The aboutness relation is
kind of strange. E.g. the thought of a coronavirus in the head, but what the thought is
about is in the world. It’s a relation of reference: it refers to what’s about.
o (2) Phenomenality refers to the subjective experiential character that is associated
with most mental states. Sensory perceptions are phenomenality. To look at a
colour, to taste a taste, to feel a feeling. These states have a subjective character to
it. This subjective character (what’s it like) is referred to the phenomenal stage
o Most mental stages include both. Some stages are merely intentional, like
unconscious thoughts (about something, but you can’t experience them because it’s
unconscious). Some stages are merely phenomenon, like anxiousness (hard to
express what they feel anxious about, no definite intentionally).
Two kinds of dualism
Substance dualism: mind is a non-physical substance (a soul) that is causally connected to the
body most people associate dualism with this type
Property dualism: the mind is produced by the physical brain, but some of its properties
(phenomenal properties) are non-physical the mind can’t exist without the brain.
Substance dualism
The mind and the body are distinct substances that are causally connected.
Associated with Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
o His argument for substance dualism is cogito ergo sum
Two kinds of substance: extended and thinking
o Extended: substances that occupy space
o Thinking: always conscious thoughts, it’s not something that can occupy space
Quest for the foundations of knowledge: what is it that we cannot doubt? He wanted to
built a worldview based on knowledge that can not be doubted. How can you find these bits
of knowledge? Is it logically possible to doubt this? The kind of things that Descartes
doubted, are normally left undoubted.
For example: will there be a world if you open the door? It makes no sense to doubt it, but
according to Descartes it is logically possible to do, because it can be that there is no world.
He also doubted the body. We can logically doubt it, because in science fiction sometimes
brains are connected to computers.
But you can’t doubt that you are doubting. I think, therefore I am. You as a thinking thing,
must exist to be able to think.
Gedownload door: ikarumba316 | € 912 per jaar
Dit document is auteursrechtelijk beschermd, het verspreiden van dit document is strafbaar. extra verdienen?
, The logical structure of the cogito argument
Whether or not are the thinking thing (soul) and the extend thing (the body) one and the same?
Logical principle: two things are in reality identical if they share all their properties
X = Y only when X and Y share all their properties
Why, if two billiard balls are exactly the same (size, weight, look etc.) do we say; these are
two billiard balls and not one? The property of space occupying is not the same. The each
occupy a different bit of space.
So, if you can find one property in which X and Y differ, it’s enough to say that they are not
the same thing
There is one property that my mind and body do not share:
I can doubt the existence of my body
I can not doubt the existence of my thinking
Therefore: my thinking and my body are two distinct substances
Preliminaries to logical behaviourism
Most scientists and philosophers agreed with Descartes in his time. However, there are a few
problems.
Methodological problems
If the mind is a non-physical substance, you can’t reach it from any other way than from
within. You can’t have an objective scientific investigation.
Dualism implies introspection as the only feasible scientific methodology. You can have
introspection. Everybody only has access to their own minds
Introspection is neither objective, nor intersubjective The problem is that introspection is
not objective: anyone can say anything that happens in their mind, but no one can check it.
You can’t even be sure that when two people describe something, that they actually have the
same experience.
Unconscious mental states cannot be topics of scientific research If scientific research
means introspection, than unconsciousness can’t be studied.
Response: define psychology as behavioural science
Watson and Skinner: psychological behaviourism
Watson: there is no such thing as a soul. Behaviourism is a methodological thesis for
psychological.
Skinner: “the history of human thought is nothing more than the history of what humans
have said and done” anything that can be observered from the outside
Logical behaviourism / philosophical behaviourism
Different kind of theory, opposed to psychological behaviourism
A response to logical/conceptual/theoretical problems with dualism
Gedownload door: ikarumba316 | € 912 per jaar
Dit document is auteursrechtelijk beschermd, het verspreiden van dit document is strafbaar. extra verdienen?
