Summary of Introduction to Philosophy of Mind

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The philosophy of mind is the study of the nature of mind and mental events. Dualism is the view that minds and their contents are separate from the physical world. Functionalism is the view that mental states are determined by the functions of the brain. The identity theory is the view that there is an identity relationship between the neurological activity of the brain and the things we call ideas, memories, thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. eliminativism is the view that we should eliminate as far as possible mental language from our vocabulary, even if we can't demonstrate a one-to-one correlation between a particular mental event and a specific set of neurons dendrites and synapses in a particular brain. Regardless of which theory one subscribes to, all of these theories are physicalist in their approach and reject the idea of mental events as ontologically distinct from material events.

• 00:00:00 The philosophy of mind is the division of metaphysics that attempts to answer questions such as what is the relationship between minds and bodies, what makes an individual mind that particular mind, and can the mind exist independently from the body. The three core questions of the philosophy of mind are what is the relationship between minds and bodies, what makes an individual mind that particular mind, and can the mind exist independently from the body. The philosophy of mind is also the branch of metaphysics that addresses questions such as where thoughts go after the body dies, does mental content exist even when the body doesn't do minds, and what is the ontological status of our minds.
• 00:05:00 Dualism is the belief that there are two different types of substance in the universe: matter and mind. Substance dualism is the belief that matter is the stuff out of which physical objects are made, and mind or consciousness is the stuff out of which consciousness is made. Plato and René Descartes are two examples of substance dualists. There is another kind of dualism, which focuses not on the stuff from which things are made, but rather the kind of properties that might be attached to one kind of stuff. For example, water can be in three states: solid, liquid, or gas. A single molecule of water doesn't have any of those properties, it can't be in any of those states.
• 00:10:00 This YouTube video introduces the philosophy of mind, which explores the relationship between the mind and the body. Dualism – the theory that the mind and the body are two completely separate substances – is one of the main theories of mind-body interaction. Substance dualism – the theory that there are two completely different substances from which mental and physical events are composed – is the most traditional theory of mind-body interaction. Parallelism – the theory that both physical and mental causal chains have been running parallel to each other almost like two parallel universes – is an alternative theory of mind-body interaction that is embraced by some philosophers. Pre-established harmony – the idea that both physical and mental causal chains have been running parallel to each other almost like two parallel universes – is the explanation proposed by some philosophers for the correlation between mental and physical events.
• 00:15:00 Epiphenomenalism is a theory of mind-body interaction that holds that mental events are the byproducts of physical events. It is compatible with either ontological starting point, substance dualism or property dualism.
• 00:20:00 The video discusses the history of philosophy of mind, which goes back to the ancient Greeks. One of the major breakthroughs was the case of Phineas Gage, who was injured in an accident and had his brain injured in the process. This led to the idea that the mind is more physical than previously thought, and that mental events are a byproduct of brain events. This theory was later called epiphenomenalism. Behaviorism, which was one of the dominant theories of the mind in the early 20th century, was based on the idea that behavior is solely due to reflexes and conditioned responses. It never fully answered the questions about what goes on inside the mind when we think, feel, or experience anything. In the late 20th century, materialism became the dominant theory of the mind, which argues that the mind is just a product of the physical brain. This theory was later called physicalism. Behaviorism and materialism led to some practical benefits, but they didn't fully answer the questions about the mind. In the 21st century, there has been a resurgence of philosophical interest in the mind, with new theories such as functionalism and intentionalism being proposed.
• 00:25:00 The philosophy of mind is the study of the nature of mind and mental events, and the theories that explain how they are related to brain events. Dualism is the view that minds and their contents are separate from the physical world. Functionalism is the view that mental states are determined by the functions of the brain. The identity theory is the view that there is an identity relationship between the neurological activity of the brain and the things we call ideas, memories, thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. eliminativism is the view that we should eliminate as far as possible mental language from our vocabulary, even if we can't demonstrate a one-to-one correlation between a particular mental event and a specific set of neurons dendrites and synapses in a particular brain. Regardless of which theory one subscribes to, all of these theories are physicalist in their approach and reject the idea of mental events as ontologically distinct from material events.
• 00:30:00 This video provides an overview of the philosophy of mind, with particular focus on the various positions (dualist and materialist) and the various puzzles and questions that remain unresolved. It also discusses the current trend of combining the fields of philosophy of mind and neuroscience.