Philosophy Test 2

Physicalism

Everything that exists is physical or material (sometimes called materialism)

Qualitative Identity

Having exactly similar qualities - 2 or more distinct things that share some or all of the same qualitites, properties, or characterisitics

Behaviorism

mental states, thoughts, and feelings are not private, inner entities, but are instead behavioral dispositions

The Mind-Body Problem

the ming seems too different from physical things to physically explain its interaction with the body

Identity theory

mental states such as pain, beliefs, or desires - are literally identical to physical brain states rather than merely correlated to them

Functionalism

mental states are functional properties, defined by their causal role or function

Epiphenomenalism

mental states are caused by brain states, but do not cause anything to happen in the physical world

Physical Determinism

the complete physical state of the universe at any given moment, combined with the immutable laws of physics, uniquely determines the entire physical state at all other times, fixing both the past and the future

Sourcehood Condition of Free Will

for any action to be free (and make you morally responsible for it) the decision to act must be “up to you” in a deep, fundamental way

Principle of Alternative Possibilities

a person is morally responsible for an action, only if they could have done otherwise

John Lockean Personal Identity

consciousness always accompanies thinking and that is what makes everyone to be, what he calls “self”

Galeans argument against free will

true moral responsibility is impossible

Eliminative Materialism

some of the mental states we commonly talk about such as beliefs, desires, intentions, and feelings do not actually exists in the way we think they do

Soul Criterion of Personal Identity

the view that a person remains the same person over time because they have the same soul

Numerical Identity

if two things are this, they are not merely similar or exact copies; rather they are literally one and the same single entity

Compatibilism

free will and determinism are compatible, meaning that a person can act freely even if every event is caused by prior events and the laws of nature

dualism and why it has a difficult time accounting for the interaction of the body and mind

dualism is the interaction between the body and the mind. it is the philosophical view that the mind and the body are two distinct things. the body being physical made of matter and the mind being nonphysical being made of thoughts, feelings, and concsiousness. dualism faces a major challenge called the interaction problem. if the mind is nonphysical and the body is physical, it is hard to explain how they casually affect eachother. For example when you decide to raise your hand, a mental experience causes a physical action, and when you touch a hot stove a physical action causes a mental experience of pain. some critics argue since the mind has no physical properties that it is unclear how it could affect the body or be influenced by it.

The dilemma of determinism

philosophical argument that suggests free will is difficult to defend whether determinism is true or false. if determinism is true, then every action we perform is completely caused by prior events and the laws of nature. in this case, it seems that we are not trule free because we could not have acted differently from the way we did. on the other hand if determinism is false and some of our actions occur randomly, then our actions are determined, we lack freedom; but if our actions are undetermined and happen by chance, we also lack freedom. because both options seem to threaten free will, philosophers have debated how genuine freedom and moral responsibility are possible. compatibilites attempt to solve the dilemma by arguing that free will does not require the ability to excape causation, while libertarians argue that there is a third possibility in which free actions are neither determined or merely random

The popular argument against free will that has the principle of alternative possibilites as a permise

the popular argument against free will is based on the PAP which states that a person is morally responsible for an action only is they could have done otherwise. the argument claims that is determinism is true, then every action is the inevitable result of prior causes and the laws of nature. because the past and the laws of nature are beyond our control our actions are beyond our control. as a result, at the moment of acting, we could not have chosen any alternative course or action. if moral responsibility requires the ability to do otherwise, as PAP suggests, then no one can be morally responsible for their actions under determinism. therefore, the argument concludes that free will does not exist if determinism is true. this argument is often called the consequence argument and is one of the most influential challenges to compatibilism and free will