1 / 12

Kinds of Philosophers

The mind-body problem delves into the dual nature of human beings: we are both conscious minds and physical bodies. This philosophical inquiry examines how these distinct entities interact. Dualists argue for a separate mental and physical existence, while monists propose a unified perspective—whether through naturalism, classical idealism, or neutral monism. Additionally, perspectives on realism and idealism challenge our understanding of the world’s independence from human perception. Ultimately, this investigation tackles the nature of existence, knowledge, and the fundamental essence of being.

raine
Télécharger la présentation

Kinds of Philosophers

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. Kinds of Philosophers

  2. The Mind-body Problem • What is it to be a human being, a “thing that thinks”? • We are conscious beings, with minds • We think: • We believe, know, conjecture, estimate, guess, hypothesize, doubt • We imagine, want, crave, feel emotion, pleasure, pain • We are also physical beings, with bodies • How can we be both?

  3. Dualism • We have a dual nature • We are both mental and physical beings • Minds and bodies are distinct and independent • The problem is how they interact

  4. Monism • Dualists hold that we have a dual nature • There are two fundamental kinds of thing (e.g., minds and bodies) • Monists hold that we have a unified nature • There is just one fundamental kind of thing • But which one? • Bodies (naturalism) • Minds (classical idealism) • Neither (neutral monism)

  5. Naturalism • We are fundamentally physical beings • We are parts of nature • We can be understood naturalistically • The problem is how to fit the mental into our understanding of the natural world

  6. Classical Idealism • We are fundamentally mental beings • Everything depends on mind • The problem is understanding how we construct physical objects mentally

  7. Neutral Monism • There is just one fundamental kind of thing • But it’s not specifically mental or physical— it can constitute both • Problems: What is it? How does it constitute them? • Almost no one has held this position

  8. Skepticism • All we have access to is mental— our own sensations, feelings, thoughts, desires. . . . • Is there anything else? Are they fundamental? We have no way of knowing

  9. Mind/body and other issues • Stances on the mind/body problem tend to determine outlooks on other philosophical issues

  10. Two Philosophical Issues • 1. Is the world independent of us, or do we in some sense construct it? • 2. Can we know anything about the world independently of experience?

  11. Realism and Idealism • 1. Is the world independent of us, or do we in some sense construct it? • Realism: Some things are independent of mind • Idealism: Everything depends on mind; things are constructions or projections of the mind

  12. Rationalism and Empiricism • 2. Can we know anything about the world independently of experience? • Rationalism: Yes: Some knowledge of the world is independent of our own experience • Empiricism: No: All knowledge of the world comes from experience

More Related