The Meaning of The Mind

How does Descartes define the mind

-The mind is the thinking thing or the centre of consciousness

What are the characteristics of Physical and Mental states?

Physical:

• Follows Laws

• Permanent

• Public

• Spatial

• Don’t have qualia

• Don’t have intentionality

• Fallible

Mental:

• Lawless

• Transient

• Private

• Non-spatial

• Have Qualia

• Have intentionality

• Infallible

What is the definition of intentionality

-Mental states such as beliefs, desires, thoughts, emotions etc, point beyond themselves, they are about something else

-This is consistent for all of our mental states. The mental is characterised by this feature of ‘aboutness’, they point to something else

-Example: The emotion of happiness at passing the exam is ABOUT the exam

What are some issues with intentionality

-Mental states can lack intentionality

• Emotions caused by hormone balances are not about anything, they just are there

• All mental states can be seen to be about something but we may not recognise it (possible response)

-There may be some physical objects with intentionality

• For example: a book is about something

• However, these things only have intentionality when given it by mental states, writing on a page would mean nothing without mental states

Define Qualia

-Qualia are the intrinsic, non-intentional, phenomenal aspects of mental states that are introspectively accessible (one can access them through the examination of their own thoughts)

Explain Qualia and give an example

-The phenomenal properties of mental states are referred to as qualia

-This refers to the ‘what it is like to be’ in certain conscious states and helps to describe what it feels like ‘from the inside’

-We can observe the effect something has on somebodies body and we can hear their reaction but we cannot truly know what it is like for somebody to experience the mental state

-Example: PAIN

• We can hear a scream, see a wound, and observe firing nerves, but we can never truly understand the mental state of the one who is wounded.