metaphysics test review

Define “metaphysics”

branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of reality, existence, and the fundamental principles underlying the universe

Idealism

-idealism; reality consists of ideas and the minds that house them

-Berkeley denied the existence of material things, maintaining that what people "common-sensically" view as material objects are really bundles of ideas that God placed in humans

Why does metaphysics matter?

does a supreme being exist? answering this question gives millions of peoples lives meaning, purpose and direction

what is a person? this has important implications in medicine, law, and medical ethics, especially in debates about abortion and euthanasia (when does a person stop being a person and having rights?)

Describe Plato’s world of Forms or Ideas

The physical world we perceive with our senses is merely a shadow or imperfect reflection of a higher abstract realm of reality, which Plato calls the world of Forms or Ideas. He claimed that there is a form for every particular item that exists in the world perceived by people including objects, humans, and values

What are the “Forms”?

eternal, unchanging, and perfect archetypes or blueprints of the concept and qualities we encounter in the physical world.

How can the Forms be known

forms are abstract and can only be known through philosophical reasoning.

What purpose does Plato's ideal world serve

serves as the standard by which we judge the imperfections of the physical world and aspire towards a higher understanding of truth, goodness and beauty.
The ultimate goal for Plato is to attain knowledge of the Forms and to lead a life guided by their eternal principles.

Substance theory (Descartes)

self is a determinate and unitary thing a substance that persists over time. the self is not a material substance, it is mental. the self controls the body and the brain in the same way as a captain controls a ship. self supports changing experiences but does not itself change.

Bundle Theory (Hume)

a bundle or a collection of bits and pieces of experience (eg fleeting ideas, sensory impressions, fragmentary memories, passing desires). no unity in these perceptions nor a thread that game them continuity.

the narrative theory ( Ricoeur)

the self is shaped by narrative, with individuals making sense of their experiences through storytelling. both central character and author of their own narrative. unified narrative fosters a cohesive sense of self, while fragmented narratives lead to a disjointed identity. narrative evolves and new stories can be told and old stories can be retold or dropped

the project theory (satre)

needs to be thought of more as an event in time than as a thing. like the project of building a bridge, self always under active construction. self is not given to people ready made or with instructions for constructing it.

what is self deception. what does it lead to?

self deception is when someone convinces themselves of something they know to be untrue. leads to inner conflict and division as individuals must relax their standards of evidence

Materialism

Materialism (physicalism): everything is physical or that reality consists of matter.

Even something as elusive as consciousness is simply a material phenomenon, a by-product of activity in the human brain.

Realism

Platonic realism: reality consists ultimately of ideal forms, or ideas, that are timeless, unchanging, immaterial, and more perfect than the world of changeable things that people encounter every day through sense perception.

Monism

Monism: reality consists of one all-encompassing thing and that all particular things are manifestations or expressions of this one thing. The one thing may be material or it may be mental.

Dualism

Dualism: reality consists of two fundamentally different kinds of things: mind and matter.

-The 17th-century French philosopher René Descartes advocated this view.

what is self knowledge and how does it impact our lives

requires reflective self inquiry an detachment from personal biases to understand the causes behind desires, beliefs and emotions. this understanding gives us more freedom to choose how we want to live our lives by knowing why we want things and what we believe.

what does Richard Rorty believe about self knowledge

he believes that understanding oneself is like interpreting a text that keeps changing. self knowledge is about finding new ways to describe ourselves in response to lifestyle uncertainties rather then seeking objective truths

what is personhood and why is it important

the concept is an essential component of most legal and moral systems. to be considered a person is to be the holder of rights and privileges and fundamentally to the right of life

explain the conditions of personhood (definitions) proposed by John Locke

18th century philosopher

said personhood includes; rationality, thought, consciousness, self consciousness and self identity

explain the conditions of personhood (definitions) proposed by Daniel dennet

contemporary American philosopher of cognitive science

believed personhood included; rationality, conscious state and intentionality, being the subject of a special stance or attitude of regard by the other persons, reciprocating this person regarding stance, the capacity for verbal communication and self consciousness

explain the conditions of personhood (definitions) proposed by Mary Ann warren

contemporary American moral philosopher

has; the ability to feel pain, reasoning and problem solving ability, the ability to carry out self motivated activities, the ability to communicate messages of an indefinite variety of types, the presence of self concepts and self awareness

explain the conditions of personhood (definitions) proposed by Annette Baier

contemporary ethicist

proposed; a naturalist view of persons as embodied, interpersonally responsive and dependent creatures

why are definitions of personhood problematic? what implications does/can this have in society?

problematic because it has a lot of historical and cultural variability that can be controversial and not accepted everywhere. implications could be disagreements or fights or exclusion based on everyones different point of views.

for Locke what is the most important component of personal identity? what does this mean for a person that has experienced amnesia

most important component of personal identity for Locke is continuing consciousness which is the ability to remember ire relive or take responsibility in past actions meaning if you experience amnesia he believes you are no longer the same person

what does Derek Parfit believe connects people to their earlier or later selves? what happens to much of a persons earlier self by the time they grow old, according to parfit?

believes people are connected psychologically to other stages of their life by overlapping links of memory and intention. believes the earlier self will have faded away

materialist solution to mind and brain problem

Materialists maintain that everything that exists, including a person's thoughts, consciousness, and personality, is made of matter (i.e., atoms).

-Nothing non-material exists in reality.

identity theorists solution to mind problem

Identity theorists say that all mental states are identical to brain states.

A mental state is a brain state in the same way as light is electromagnetic waves, or sound is compression waves racing through the air.

the eliminatgvist materialist solution mind to brain problem

Eliminativists believe that the way we usually talk about thoughts and feelings (common-sense psychology) is wrong and that our understanding of the mind will change as we learn more about how our brains work.

the functionalists solution

Functionalism (a form of materialism) says that mental states can be made real various

ways.

-One way is through the brain tissue inside your cranium, but another way is through

silicon chips.

the dualists solution to mind and brain problem

Substance dualists believe that, as a non- material entity or substance, the human mind

exists independently of the body but interacts with the body.

-Minds (i.e., thoughts) are different from material substances because they do not take

up space and cannot be divided

the subjectivists solution to mind and brain problem

Subjectivists hold the position that the mind is not reducible to physical processes in the

brain alone.

-They argue that mental states and consciousness are fundamentally subjective

experiences that cannot be fully explained or understood solely in terms of brain activity or physical phenomena

the monist solution

Monists believe that reality is ultimately composed of one thing or one type of thing

As a result, he said, mental-state terms and body- or brain-state terms refer to the same

thing. One way cannot be reduced to the other, nor can one be explained in terms of the

other.

what are human beings according to the strong ai theory? what does this suggest

essentially computers because they process, store, encode, decode, and manipulate information in orderly ways.

-This suggests that if humans are computing machines, they can at least in principle, be

duplicated by other machines not built from tissue

what is John seamless Chinese room thought experiment? what does it demonstrate about the limitations of a computer understanding a language

A person who doesn't understand Chinese receives Chinese symbols and follows a set of instructions in English to manipulate them.

-Despite producing responses that appear to understand Chinese, the person doesn't actually comprehend the language.

how did Descartes view non human animals

Descartes argued that only humans possess minds, viewing non-human animals as biological machines lacking consciousness, thought, or feeling.

-He believed that machines and animals are incapable of genuine language use or creative problem-solving, unlike humans.

explain theism

The Greek word theos means god.

-Theists believe that the universe was created by a perfect, all-powerful supreme being who continues to be interested in its well-being and can intervene to perform miracles or make revelations.

explain deism

The word deism comes from deus, the Latin word for god.

-Deists believe that a supreme being created the universe but does not intervene in its workings.

explain polytheism

The English prefix poly- comes from a Greek word that means many.

Polytheists believe many gods govern the universe, with each god having a different role

explain monotheism

The English prefix mono- comes from a Greek word that means one.

-Monotheists believe that universe is the creation of a single, perfect, all-powerful supreme being

explain pantheism

Pantheists say that a supreme being is everywhere and that

everything in the universe contains the spirit of this being. Pantheists believe in a

divinized nature and a naturalized divinity

explain panentheism

For panentheists the entire universe is pervaded by God.

-Everything that exists, from the largest galaxies in the universe to the

smallest neutrinos is part of God.

the ontological argument

Developed by Alsem of Cantebury.

-His argument begins, not on evidence from the sense, but by defining God as a

supremely perfect being.

-Since existence is a feature of perfection, God must exist.

the cosmological argument

The argument begins with the simple observation that it is impossible for any natural

thing in the world to create itself.

-Everything comes from something else.

-But at some point in the cause-and-effect series, there must be a cause that is not

itself caused which is God

the argument from design

The evidence of design and purpose in the natural world suggests an intelligent

designer or creator.

-Just as the intricate design of a watch implies the existence of a skilled watchmaker

what are atheists

reject the idea of the existence of a supreme being (e.g., Marx, Nietzsche, and Sartre).

atheists arguments

-it is inconceivable that a supremely perfect and benevolent being could create a world full of calamity, evil, war

-A supreme being fulfills people's deep-seated psychological need for security, order, and

meaning in a world that is overwhelmingly hostile and incomprehensible.

-Everything in nature can be explained adequately using the tools of modern science so there is no need to suggest that a supreme being is the creator of nature.

what is pascals wager

Pascal said that from a gamblers point of view people are better off living

and acting as if there is a God.

-It's a safe bet: the losses are relatively small (miss out on a few pleasures) and

the benefits are relatively great (i.e., eternal life), at least when weighed against

the alternatives (e.g. hell)

what do hard determinists believe about free will

Every event is caused, including one’s own choices and actions is determined by a chain of causes extending back in time.

-They believe that free will is an illusion

theory of freedom; agent causation

people are free because they are the originating sources of action, rather than mere reactors to external forces.

theory of freedom; theory of free will

-The will is perfectly insulated from all external causes.

-The will is not a physical entity like the brain or body and therefore are not subject to the

deterministic laws of nature.

-Although, the will can interact with the brain and

send messages telling it to perform an action

according to soft determinists how are freedom and determinism compatible

do not agree on how.

▪ Some say that people are free if if they are self- determined rather than externally determined - if the causes of their actions lie mainly inside themselves.

▪ Some say that freedom is doing what one wants to do, though your desires are causally

determined.

compare the nihilist, theistic and non theistic answer to the question what is the meaning of life

• Nihilism: Life has no inherent meaning or purpose. Any search for meaning is pointless.

• Theism: Life's meaning comes from God or a higher divine purpose, and humans fulfill it by following God's will.

• Non-theism: Life’s meaning is created by individuals through their experiences and actions, without reference to a deity.