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materialism definition
belief that the soul does not exist - the self is solely physical
Ghost in the Machine
Gilbert Ryle - humans function like computers/machines. It is illogical to think that a ‘ghost’ or spirit operates a machine and leads it to do its functions -therefore the same assumption is illogical for humans
'machines of meat’
Richard Dawkins, biologist and hard materialist. Humans are like machines only made of flesh. There is nothing else to a person, no spiritual element
dualism definition
the soul and body are separate, there is a spiritual element to the self
Plato’s beliefs on the soul
Plato’s Republic: the soul is immortal and existed first - it continues to be reincarnated or born into the world of forms
the body is mortal, physical matter, ‘gross and unthinking’
there is personal existence after death and human life should focus on getting the soul to the ideal form
Aristotle’s beliefs on the soul
Aristotle’s De Anima: the soul and the body are separate - each person has a particular soul that makes them what they are (eg, a dog has a dog’s soul) - the soul is responsible for developing character and temper
the soul and body are inseparable, like fingerprints in wax,they support each other
BUT neither the body or soul survive death - there is no personal existence after death
Descartes definition
Cartesian/Substance dualism, we are made of two separate substances
mind (Descartes)
res cognita - spiritual and non-corporeal
matter (Descartes)
res extensa - physical and corporeal
Argument from Doubt
Cogito, ergo sum - ‘I think therefore I am’
I can doubt that my body exists, but I cannot doubt that I exist as a thinking being as doubting is a form of thinking
THEREFORE because I am a thinking being, I am not identical with my body
Argument from Divisibility and Non-divisibility
bodies are extended in space (exist in 3D) and are therefore divisible
minds are not extended in space (exist in 3D) and are therefore not divisible
THEREFORE minds are radically different from bodies
Argument from Clear and Distinct Perception
whatever I clearly and distinctly perceive as two different things can be created by God as two different things
I have a clear and distinct perception of my body as two different things
THEREFORE I am distinct from my body
Criticism of 3 proofs
Descartes uses God and Fideism, which was rejected by enlightenment thinking of the time
it could be argued that consciousness is a product of the human brain - ‘mind/soul’ = brain activity
Neuroscience tells us the mind depends on the physical brain (if the brain is physically damaged,one’s personality may change)
the pineal gland being where the mind ‘enters’ is scientifically problematic
Physicalism (criticism of Cartesian dualism)
things are matter only
a soul or a mind are not needed to explain the nature of people
everything has a physical cause - eg,emotions are the result of chemical changes
there is no soul or mind,only the brain
functionalism (Cartesian Dualism criticism)
cognitive science compares the mind to a computer
the mind consists of sensory inputs and behavioural outputs
the mind is not a THING it is a FUNCTION that inputs data and generates an outcome
therefore we do not have a mind, a mind is something that happens when we experience sensory data
Interactionism
there are two substances, mind and body, and they interact with each other
Dual Aspect Monism
belief that we are ontologically one substance, but that substance has two aspects
we are made of physical and spiritual aspects BUT they are part of one substance that makes us up
neither can survive death within our scientific worldview
belief in the soul is not necessary we just have spiritual aspects to our being
aspects of a person (DAM)
Qualia - awareness/sensual experiences eg, tasting food, physical pain - 1st person
Physical experience actually happening in the brain eg, chemicals released when feeling physical pain - 3rd person
the Hard Problem of Consciousness
how does the physical brain produce consciousness when consciousness seems so different to the physical brain?
may reject materialism - neuroscience shows when we make a decision, parts of the brain are electronically alive, BUT this does not tell us HOW a conscious decision is reached - we may still need ‘thinking self’
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Replica Theory Scholar
Hick
Replica Theory
Hick’s way of reconciling materialist beliefs with an afterlife
at the moment of death, a replica of the person appears in the resurrected world. the replica has the same personal identity that lived before it, so Hick believed it is the same person
uses bodily resurrection as opposed to spiritual
Replica Theory possibility
God is omnipotent, as such it is logically possible for such an afterlife to take place
God’s omnipotence is central to this theory
Criticisms of Replica Theory
the replica body is not the same as the one that died - it is not the original
THEREFORE it is not an example of continued existence, but God creating a brand new being
Hicks response to criticism
analogy: if a man named John Smith went missing in the US and reappeared in India, having the same looks, personality and feeling he was the same person he would be treated as such
THEREFORE personal existence can continue through the Replica Theory
Light Bulb Theory scholar
Swinburne
Light Bulb Theory
soul = light bulb, body = light socket
when the two are connected the lightbulb gives out light, when disconnected cannot shine
at death the body is disconnected from the soul
in heaven the soul is able to live/experience again
the afterlife is like plugging back in a lightbulb
Near Death Experience - definition
a report given by someone pronounced clinically dead about what happened during that time
Evidence for NDEs
Pam Reynold’s experience - accurately recalled her surgical procedure watching ‘out of body’ and saw a ‘bright light’, typically described in NDEs
Dr Peter Fenwick’s research - only 14% of NDEs had received any drugs, suggests it is not a hallucination
Children can give accurate accounts of NDEs, talking about things they would not usually comprehend eg, Colton Burpo
NDEs occur in all parts of the world, all races, genders, ages and throughout history - the commonality of NDEs and the events recalled suggest truth to them
evidence against NDEs
NDEs are the result of hypoxia (lack of oxygen), the dying brain creates feelings of euphoria recalled
Dr Persinger’s God Helmet - neuroscientist created a helmet which can recreate the effects of NDE, suggesting it is due to physical effects not spiritual
American jet fighters experience the tunnel’ effect seen in NDEs due to lack of blood flow to the brain in acceleration
Freudians - NDEs are hallucinatory wishful thinking to overcome fear of death