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Single Idea 6617

[filed under theme 15. Nature of Minds / A. Nature of Mind / 1. Mind / e. Questions about mind ]

Full Idea

Philosophy of mind seems to address the questions of whether the mind is distinct from the body, and whether the mind has properties, such as consciousness, which are unique to it.

Gist of Idea

The main questions are: is mind distinct from body, and does it have unique properties?

Source

E.J. Lowe (Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind [2000], Intro)

Book Ref

Lowe,E.J.: 'Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind' [CUP 2000], p.1


A Reaction

Simple enough, but the modern debate seems to centre on the second question, which is here stated nice and clearly. Of course, wild garlic has a unique smell, but that doesn't quite qualify as a 'unique property'. Are the properties of mind unpredictable?


The 10 ideas with the same theme [questions to be decided about the mind]:

Is the function of the mind management, authority and planning - or is it one's whole way of life? [Plato]
Minds are hard-wired, or trial-and-error, or experimental, or full self-aware [Dennett, by Heil]
I say psychology is intentional, semantics is informational, and thinking is computation [Fodor]
In CRTT thought may be represented, content must be [Fodor]
The only serious mind-brain theories now are identity, token identity, realization and supervenience [Papineau]
The three theories are reduction, dualism, eliminativism [Rey]
Different generations focus on either the quality of mind, or its scientific standing, or the content of thought [Heil]
Types are properties, and tokens are events. Are they split between mental and physical, or not? [Sturgeon]
Mindless bodies are zombies, bodiless minds are ghosts [Sturgeon]
The main questions are: is mind distinct from body, and does it have unique properties? [Lowe]