Philosophy Lesson 3: Human Person as an Embodied Being in the World

Practice flashcards testing concepts, definitions, theories, and historical philosophical perspectives on the human person as an embodied being.

How is a "Human (Human Being)" defined in the lecture notes?

Refers strictly to a member of the biological species Homo sapiens.

How is the term "Man" historically defined?

Historically used as a synonym for "mankind" or the entire human race.

What is the definition of a "Person" according to the transcript?

Refers to a subject with consciousness, rationality, moral agency, and rights.

What synthesis forms a "Human Person"?

It represents the synthesis of a biological body (human) and a social, psychological, and legal identity (person).

Who formulated the thought experiment "The Ship of Theseus" in the $1^{st}$ Century?

Plutarch.

According to Plato, what is the fundamental nature of man?

Man is fundamentally an immortal, rational soul that is temporarily trapped inside a physical, mortal body, whose true essence existed in the ideal world of forms before birth.

What is the role of the intellect (nous) in Plato's philosophy?

It is the highest part of the soul and the faculty responsible for grasping true, unchanging reality, allowing humans to perceive eternal Forms or Ideas such as Justice, Beauty, and Goodness.

How does Aristotle define man using Greek philosophical terms?

Man is a rational animal (zoon logon echon) and a political animal (zoon politikon).

What does Aristotle's theory of hylomorphism state?

It argues that man is a combination of matter (body) and form (soul or psyche).

In Aristotle's philosophy, what is the ultimate goal of human life?

Eudaimonia (flourishing / happiness).

What are the three components of a human person in Hindu philosophy?

The soul (atman), which is eternal and carries karma; the mind (manas), which links outer senses to the inner soul; and the body (shtula sharira), which acts as an instrument to experience the physical world.

According to Buddhist philosophy, how is human consciousness described instead of a fixed soul?

As a shifting stream of consciousness (vijnana).

What is the concept of Nama-Rupa in Buddhism?

The mutual dependence of the mind (nama) and body (rupa), where a functioning body requires consciousness and human consciousness requires a physical form to perceive the world.

What was Augustine of Hippo's view on the body and soul?

Both body and soul are God's good creation (though the soul is superior), and the body is meant to be guided and governed by the rational soul through the mind (intellect).

How does Thomas Aquinas describe the composition of man?

Man is "one substance body and soul" at the point of convergence between corporeal and spiritual substance, where the soul (anima) requires the body (corpus) as a material medium for perception.

How did Søren Kierkegaard view the human self as the "father of existentialism"?

As a dynamic synthesis of three separate dimensions converging into one: the body (finite), mind (finite), and spirit (infinite).

What are the physiological steps of visual perception outlined in the lecture?

Light enters the eyes and impinges on two retinas, which send electrical signals past the optic chiasm down the optic nerve to the visual cortex at the back of the brain, causing the visual cortex to become active.

What are the two specific questions that define the mind-body problem?

1. The ontological question: what are mental states and physical states, and are they entirely distinct? 2. The causal question: do physical states influence mental states, and do mental states influence physical states, and if so, how?

What are the two substances defined in René Descartes' Cartesian Dualism?

Mental substance (res cogitans) and physical substance (res extensa).

What is the main assertion of Interactionism in dualism theory?

Mind and body are separate entities that interact, meaning mental states can affect physical conditions and vice versa.

How does Parallelism explain the relationship between mental and physical events?

It suggests that although there is a correlation between mental and physical events, there is not any causal relationship.

How does Epiphenomenalism view mental states?

Mental states are merely passive byproducts (epiphenomena) caused by physical processes in the brain, such as biochemical secretions (like adrenaline) raising heart rate rather than the experience of fear.

What did Gilbert Ryle mean by the "Ghost in the Machine" critique?

He argued it is a category mistake to view the mind as a ghost pulling levers inside the body; instead, "mind" is just a word for how a person behaves, feels, and acts.

What is Baruch Spinoza's view on Monism?

Both mental and corporeal phenomena are different manifestations of one and the same Reality, where mind alone is the material to which our body is caused.

What is the main distinction between Physicalism and Idealism in Monism?

Physicalism asserts everything is physical or supervenes on physical things (MATTER > mind), while Idealism asserts the mental realm is primary and the physical world may be an illusion created by our minds (matter < MIND).

How is Embodiment defined by Porlucas (2008)?

The idea that human existence is experienced through a physical body, influencing perception, interaction, and ultimately one's identity.

How is an Embodied Being defined according to Ottswald (2019)?

An existing conscious creature that has a physical body, representing an inseparable union of a physical body and a non-physical soul or mind functioning together as one complete whole.