Frank Jackson's Theories

These flashcards cover key concepts from Frank Jackson's theories in the Philosophy of Mind, including his arguments against physicalism and the aspects of consciousness.

Epiphenomenalism

The view that certain mental states are caused by physical events but cannot cause any changes in the physical world.

Supervenience

An asymmetrical relationship where the existence of one type of property depends on another type of property.

Qualia

The subjective, qualitative properties of experiences, such as how someone experiences the color red.

Knowledge Argument

Jackson's argument asserting that physicalism cannot fully account for all experiences and knowledge.

Fred's Case

An example used by Jackson to show that Fred experiences different shades of red that are unknown to others.

Mary's Room

A thought experiment where Mary, a scientist, learns something new about color upon leaving a black-and-white room.

Physicalism

The belief that everything in the universe is composed solely of physical entities and governed by physical laws.

Property Dualism

The view that there are two types of properties—physical and nonphysical—that coexist in the world.

Causal Closure

The principle that all physical states are caused by other physical states, leaving no room for nonphysical causation.

Behaviorism

The theory that behavior can be explained without reference to mental states, focusing only on observable activities.