PHIL101W: Mind-Body Problem
Topics for Midterm Paper
1. Sue says, “Descartes fails to prove that the mind is, in its essential nature, entirely distinct from the body since his notion of the immaterial mind does not enter the physical realm.”Fed says, “Epiphenomenalism as property dualism somehow solves the problems of Descartes thesis of the mind-body problem.”
Explain the conversation between Sue and Fred and discuss critically your position on this issue.
2. Ryle says, “Talking of the mind as a separate realm existing alongside the bodily realm is a categorical mistake.”Smart says, “Sensation (a mental state) is nothing over and above brain processes (physical states).”Explain the dialogue between Ryle and Smart and discuss your position on this issue critically.
3. Heathcliff says, “Medieval peasants knew a lot about pain but nothing about C-fiber excitation. So, how can pain be identical with C-fiber excitation?”
Catherine says, “Heathcliff, your objection is an epistemological point.Unfortunately, this kind of objection does not undermine the identity theory.” Explain the conversation between Heathcliff and Catherine and discuss your position on this
issue critically.
4. Isabella says, “To say that the mind is correlated with brain processes is to say that they are something over and above. But the mind-body correlation is compatible with many theories of mind, so the mind-body correlation does not provide us with an explanation of the very nature of mind and body and their relation.”
Explain Isabella’s statement with your understanding of Smart’s Identity theory and Occam’s razor, and discuss your position on this issue critically.
5. “Paul is having a toothache.”Considering the sentence, explain the behaviorist interpretation of the sentence.
6. Jena says, “Folk psychology is good enough to be eligible as a scientific theory.”
Terry says, “Folk psychology is false. It cannot be a scientific theory. There are no such things as belief, desire, and so on.”Explain the conversation between Jena and Terry and discuss your position on this issue