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17. Mind and Body / A. Mind-Body Dualism / 6. Epiphenomenalism

[mind as by-product of matter, having no effect]

13 ideas
T.H.Huxley gave the earliest clear statement of epiphenomenalism [Huxley, by Rey]
Brain causes mind, but it doesn't seem that mind causes actions [Huxley]
Consciousness is a terminal phenomenon, and causes nothing [Nietzsche]
Epiphenomenalism is like a pointless nobleman, kept for show, but soon to be abolished [Alexander,S]
Epiphenomenalism makes the mind totally pointless [Alexander,S]
If epiphenomenalism were true, we couldn't report consciousness [Kim]
If epiphenomenalism just says mental events are effects but not causes, it is consistent with physicalism [Perry]
If an epiphenomenon has no physical effects, it has to be undetectable [Dennett]
Either intentionality causes things, or epiphenomenalism is true [Fodor]
The epiphenomenal relation of mind and brain is a 'causal dangler', unlike anything else [Papineau]
Maybe minds do not cause actions, but do cause us to report our decisions [Papineau]
Functionalism defines mental states by their causal properties, which rules out epiphenomenalism [Crane]
If qualia are causally inert, how can we even know about them? [Lowe]