Philosophy of the Mind

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that dualism acknowledges the picture of the self within investigation of the mind; whereas, physicalism ignores the individual and only supports the progress of materialism. The author points out that dualists, as early as Descartes, have always been faced with the question of how the mental phenomena interact with the physical brain; however, now that we know so much more about the brain, the problem is even more of a conundrum. The paper contends that Pat Churchland's new integrated philosophy has more justification and meaning for her and perhaps others, but its aspiration to be the ultimate philosophy dangerously limits the scope of knowledge and places values completely at the discretion of that which is prescribed by science.

From the Paper:

"Frank Jackson's 'Knowledge Argument' provides a hypothetical example to prove the distinction between qualia and knowledge. He said to imagine Mary, a futuristic scientist who lives in a black and white world, and learns everything physical about the brain, including what it is like to see colors. If she suddenly is let out into a colorful world and actually sees something red, she experiences something different (the qualia of red) than knowledge that she had of it before. Jackson's story not only points out that experience is distinct from knowledge, but also that our experience is always changing, and is always capable of producing something new that has not been documented in past knowledge."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bush Sr., George, Presidential Proclaimation 6158. July 17, 1990. Project on the Decade of the Brain website. 12 Dec 2005.< http://www.loc.gov/loc/brain/proclaim.html>
• Churchland, Patricia Smith. Neurophilosophy: Towards a Unified Science of the Mind/Brain. (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1989)Chalmers, David. The Conscious Mind: In search of a Fundamental Theory. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996)
• Jackson, Frank. "Epiphenomenal Qualia," The Journal of Philosophy XXXII, 127 (April 1982): 127-136
• Ibid - "What Mary Didn't Know," The Journal of Philosophy LXXXIII, 5 (May 1986):291-95
• Heidegger, Martin. The Age of the World Picture. The Question Concerning Technology and Other Essays. Trans. W. Lovitt (New York: Harper & Row, 1977) pp.115-136

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• Term Paper # 119203 : "The Mind/ Body Problem"

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