Mind-Body, Consciousness, Free Will, Ethics, Race and Gender

Flashcards covering key concepts from lectures on Mind-Body, Consciousness, Free Will, Ethics, Race, and Gender.

What is the mind-body problem?

The issue of how mental states relate to physical states—are they the same or separate?

What is dualism?

The belief that the mind and body are distinct substances.

What is physicalism?

The view that everything, including the mind, is physical; mental states are brain states.

What is the interaction problem?

The challenge for dualism regarding how mind and body, as different substances, causally interact.

What are qualia?

The subjective, first-person experiences of perception; for example, the redness of red as it feels to you.

Why is evolution a problem for dualists?

Evolution explains traits through physical processes, making a non-physical mind incompatible with evolutionary explanations.

What’s the difference between consciousness and sentience?

Consciousness is awareness of one's mental states, while sentience is the capacity to have subjective feelings.

Give an example of an action that is not done freely, in the sense of 'freedom' concerned with freedom of the will. 

One example would be a person who compulsively checks their phone in response to an urge they cannot control, even though they don't want to. In this case, the action isn't freely chosen because it is driven by an internal compulsion or addiction, not by the person's rational will or conscious decision. The individual feels as if they lack control over the action, making it not a free exercise of their will. 

What’s the free will problem?

It is the question of how or whether the free will thesis could be true at the same time as determinism is true; if they are not both true, then which one by itself is true?

What does a hard determinist believe?

There is no free will; everything is determined.

What does a libertarian believe regarding free will?

That free will exists and not everything is determined.

What does a compatibilist believe?

That free will and determinism can coexist.

What is a first-order desire?

Simply wanting something, such as wanting cake.

What is a second-order desire?

Wanting to want something different, like healthy food instead of cake.

What is a wanton in Frankfurt's theory?

Someone who has first-order desires but doesn’t reflect on or endorse any second-order desires.

What is Socrates' distinction between craft and knack?

Craft (techne) is based on knowledge and aims at the good, while knack is based on flattery and appearance.

What does Socrates believe about tyrants and their desires?

Tyrants do not get what they want because they lack knowledge of the good.

What is the desire-satisfaction account of happiness?

Happiness is defined as getting what you want.

How does Aristotle define happiness?

Happiness is the activity of the soul in accordance with virtue over a complete life.

What is the naturalistic fallacy?

Deriving an 'ought' from an 'is', like claiming something is good just because it's natural.

What is the difference between a natural kind and a social kind?

Natural kind exists independently of human beliefs (e.g., water), while social kind exists through human practices (e.g., race).

Why isn't Hispanic/Latino considered a race?

It is an ethnicity, not a racial group, as members can be of any race according to U.S. census categories.

What did Anderson mean by racialization?

A group is racialized when perceived and treated as if it has essential, race-based traits.

What does the color-blind principle argue?

That people should be treated without regard to race, though it ignores structural inequalities.

How is racism defined according to Anderson?

As a system of social meanings and practices that advantage some while disadvantaging others based on race.

What is the difference between sex and gender?

Sex refers to biological traits (male/female) while gender refers to social identity or roles (man/woman).

What is gender externalism?

The view that gender is determined by social recognition and roles.

What is gender internalism?

The belief that gender is based on personal identity or internal experience.