1 / 17

There is No Mind-Body Problem In Parapsychology

There is No Mind-Body Problem In Parapsychology. Hoyt Edge Rollins College Winter Park, Florida. Conceptual Issue. William James – Be clear on your concepts Concepts have a history Ideas arise in a conceptual environment in which they do work. Mind was invented in the 17 th century.

ania
Télécharger la présentation

There is No Mind-Body Problem In Parapsychology

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. There is No Mind-Body ProblemIn Parapsychology Hoyt Edge Rollins College Winter Park, Florida

  2. Conceptual Issue • William James – Be clear on your concepts • Concepts have a history Ideas arise in a conceptual environment in which they do work

  3. Mind was invented in the 17th century • Two assumptions: 1. Cartesian dualism – mind and body MindMatter Thinking Non-thinking Non-spatial Spatial Free Determined Purposeful Mechanical Seat of value A-valuable Subject (ive) Object (ive) 2. Atomism – no action at a distance

  4. History of Parapsychology • Arose under assumptions of dualism • J. B. Rhine explicitly argued that parapsychology proved Cartesian dualism • Late 20th century dualists – Beloff and Dilly

  5. Mind-Body Problem Arose and Depends on: • 1. A particular view of mind and matter Cartesian-like These are mutually dependent terms • 2. Atomism – no action at a distance

  6. Paradigm Change • Change in folk explanations – we no longer accept traditional mind-matter • Other examples • Pendulum • Nature vs. Nurture “No longer is it nature versus nurture but nature via nurture. Genes are designed to take their cures from nurture. … You will have to enter a world where your genes are not puppet masters pulling the strings of your behavior but puppets at the mercy of your behavior;...a world…where environmental influences are sometimes less reversible than genetic ones, and where nature is designed for nurture.” Matt Ridley from Nature Via Nurture

  7. Mind • Student survey • Advances in Neuro-science

  8. Matter • Subatomic physics • EPR and non-locality

  9. Reconceptualize Problem:The Person • Characteristics of Person • Reflective subjectivity • 1st person perspective • Reflective, not just having experience • Meaning • Moral responsibility

  10. My view • Bloom – even infants distinguish people from moving objects • Person constituted by the body

  11. A Naturalism • No double-decker universe • But 3rd person perspective alone will not work; it is non-reductionistic • Pluralism • Steoscopy in understanding the world is as important as it is in visual perception

  12. Parapsychology and Naturalism • Parapsychologists are already accepting this, especially through physics • Entanglement • Radin • Pseudo-telepathy

  13. The Future of Parapsychology:4 comments • 1. We should engage in cross-cultural research • Western individualism (atomism) and Non-Western collectivism (relational view) • Which psi phenomena appear cross-culturally? • How do they explain it • Parapsychology is relational

  14. 2. Psi is a function of what? • Traditionally, psi as function of mind • Now, is psi a function of person or of nature?

  15. 3. We can contribute to other disciplines • We have already done this • Volition and other cognitive functioning • Examine psychological processes

  16. 4. The survival issue • It is still an important issue • Is there any evidence • Conceptually, can a person survive and not simply a mind?

  17. 4 directions for the future • 1. Cross-cultural research • 2. Psi as property of person or nature • 3. Contribute to other disciplines • 4. Survival research

More Related