Theories of Mind (Part 4): The Interaction Problem

Rene Descartes provided a number of arguments for the immateriality of the mind. For that requisite context, check out Part 1Part 2, and Part 3. Today we shall briefly evaluate the principal objection to Cartesianism: the interaction problem. Without further ado, let’s evaluate Descartes’ arguments from dubitability and divisibility.

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Theories of Mind (Part 1): Cartesian Dualism

Can you make consciousness out of sand? You can squeeze it, punch it, toss it in the air, or do all sorts of things to it. But is any of that sufficient for conscious experience?

This post marks the first installment of my series on philosophical theories concerning the nature of the mind. Is mere sand (or other configurations of particles) sufficient for conscious experience? What is the relation between particles and people?

It is to these questions that we turn in this series. So sit back, relax, and put your thinking cap on!

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Some Tools for Your Philosophical Toolkit

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I’ve posted many times before on the nature of critical thinking, argumentation, and philosophical reasoning. In particular, I’ve focused on developing tools for the rational evaluation of arguments. In this post (and posts to come in the future), I aim to equip you with more tools to add to your critical thinking toolkit. Read more “Some Tools for Your Philosophical Toolkit”

An Appraisal of Aquinas’ First Way: Quantifier Shifts and the Gap Problem (Part 7)

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It is important to understand the background of the argument before undertaking an analysis of objections, so if you have not checked them out, I would suggest reading Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5, and Part 6. For each objection, I shall explicate the reasoning behind the objection, followed by an “assessment” section which evaluates the efficacy of the objection in question. Without further ado, let’s examine the fifth and sixth criticisms leveled against Aquinas. Read more “An Appraisal of Aquinas’ First Way: Quantifier Shifts and the Gap Problem (Part 7)”

An Appraisal of Aquinas’ First Way: On Infinity (Part 6)

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It is important to understand the background of the argument before undertaking an analysis of objections, so if you have not checked them out, I would suggest reading Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4, and Part 5. For each objection, I shall explicate the reasoning behind the objection, followed by an “assessment” section which evaluates the efficacy of the objection in question. Without further ado, let’s examine the fourth criticism leveled against Aquinas. Read more “An Appraisal of Aquinas’ First Way: On Infinity (Part 6)”