Problems with Physicalism

These flashcards cover key concepts and arguments related to the Problems with Physicalism discussed in the lecture.

Objection from Multiple Realizability

Argument against Type Identity Theory suggesting that different beings can experience the same mental state in diverse ways.

The Bat Argument

Proposes that to know what it is like to be a bat, one must have bat experiences, highlighting the limits of subjective understanding.

Knowledge Argument

Poses that if Mary, who knows all the physical facts, learns something new upon seeing color, then Physicalism is false.

Ability Knowledge

Knowledge of how to do something (e.g., recognize red) rather than knowing a proposition about it.

Type Identity Theory

The view that mental states are identical to physical brain states.

Qualia

The subjective, qualitative properties of experiences, such as the redness of red.

Mysterianism

The position that some aspects of consciousness cannot be fully understood or explained due to the limitations of human cognition.

Jackson's Black and White Mary

An example demonstrating the limitations of Physicalism through a character who learns about color for the first time.

Propositional Knowledge

Knowledge of facts or propositions, contrasted with ability knowledge.

C-Fibers

Nerve fibers thought to be associated with the experience of pain in humans.