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Philosophy of mind

Chapter 1: Dualism

Q: What is Substance Dualism?

A: The idea that the mind and body are distinct substances (Descartes).

Q: What is Property Dualism?

A: The belief that mental states are properties of the physical brain but are not reducible to physical states.

Q: What is Epiphenomenalism?

A: The view that mental states are caused by physical states but do not influence physical states.

Q: What is Descartes†Argument from Doubt?

A: The argument that if I can doubt my bodyâ€s existence but not my mindâ€s, they must be different.

Q: What is the Interaction Problem in Dualism?

A: The challenge of explaining how a nonphysical mind interacts with a physical body.

Q: What is the Explanatory Weakness of Dualism?

A: Dualism fails to explain how mental states arise or interact with each other.

Chapter 2: Behaviorism

Q: What is Philosophical Behaviorism?

A: The belief that mental states are behavioral dispositions.

Q: What is Methodological Behaviorism?

A: The idea that psychological study should focus only on observable behavior.

Q: What was the Behaviorist Revolution?

A: The movement that rejected introspection as unreliable and emphasized observable behavior (Pavlov, Watson, Skinner).

Q: What is the Behaviorist Manifesto (Watson, 1913)?

A: The idea that psychology should be objective and focus only on observable behavior.

Q: What is Classical Conditioning?

A: Learning through association (Pavlov).

Q: What is Operant Conditioning?

A: Behavior shaped by reinforcement and punishment (Skinner).

Q: What are Token Economies?

A: Using reinforcement principles in practical applications.

Q: What is Logical Behaviorism (Ryle)?

A: The view that mental states should be defined in terms of behaviors.

Q: What is the Criticism of Radical Behaviorism?

A: It fails to account for internal mental experiences (qualia) and subjective consciousness.

Q: What is Chomskyâs critique of Skinners behaviorism?

A: Chomsky argued that language acquisition cannot be explained solely by behaviorist principles.

Chapter 3: The Identity Theory

Q: What is the Identity Theory?

A: The view that the mind is identical to the brain; mental states are physical brain states.

Q: What is Type Identity in the Identity Theory?

A: The belief that each mental state corresponds to a specific type of brain state.

Q: What is Restricted Type Identity?

A: The idea that different species may have different physical realizations of the same mental state.

Q: What is Token Identity?

A: The view that each instance of a mental state corresponds to an individual brain state.

Q: What is the Multiple Realization Problem?

A: The idea that mental states can be realized in different physical systems (e.g., humans vs. AI).

Q: What are examples of Brain Injury & Mind Injury?

A: Phineas Gage (prefrontal cortex damage) and H.M. (medial temporal lobe removal).

Q: What is Ontological Simplification through reduction?

A: Explaining higher-level theories through more fundamental theories, like reducing optics to electromagnetic theory.

Chapter 4: Functionalism

Q: What is Functionalism?

A: The view that mental states are defined by their causal role in processing information, not by their physical composition.

Q: How does Functionalism relate to the Turing Machine model?

A: The mind is modeled as a system of inputs, states, and outputs, much like a Turing machine.

Q: What are the Pros of Functionalism?

A: It avoids the problems of the identity theory, especially multiple realizability.

Q: What are the Cons of Functionalism?

A: It does not fully explain consciousness, such as qualia.

Chapter 5: The Computational Theory of Mind (CTM)

Q: What is the Computational Theory of Mind (CTM)?

A: The view that mental processes are analogous to symbol manipulation in a computer.

Q: What is the difference between Syntactic and Semantic processing in CTM?

A: Syntactic processing involves the structure of symbols, while semantic processing concerns the meaning of those symbols.

Q: What are the Pros of CTM?

A: It explains reasoning and problem-solving.

Q: What are the Cons of CTM?

A: It does not explain subjective experience, as highlighted by Searleâ€s Chinese Room Argument.

Chapter 8: Physicalism and Supervenience

Q: What is Physicalism?

A: The view that everything, including mental states, is ultimately physical.

Q: What is Supervenience?

A: The idea that mental properties depend on physical properties but are not reducible to them.

Q: What is the Explanatory Gap?

A: The problem that physicalism struggles to fully explain consciousness.

Ontological Simplification through Elimination

Q: What is the goal of Ontological Simplification through elimination?

A: Refining explanations by eliminating unnecessary entities or concepts (e.g., eliminating the idea of phlogiston in favor of oxidation theory).

Q: What is the view of Eliminativists (e.g., Churchlands)?

A: The belief that mental states donâ€t exist and need a new scientific vocabulary.

Fictionalism

Q: What is Fictionalism in the context of mental states?

A: The view that mental states donâ€t exist, but itâ€s useful to act as if they do.

Q: What are Dennettâ€s Three Stances?

A:

1. Physical Stance: Examining physical mechanisms.

2. Design Stance: Understanding functions and purposes.

3. Intentional Stance: Assuming rational behavior in others.