Single Idea 3449

[catalogued under 17. Mind and Body / A. Mind-Body Dualism / 5. Parallelism]

Full Idea

In parallelism, the idea that we have a body is like an astronaut hearing shouting on the moon, and reasoning that as this is impossible he must be simultaneously imagining shouting AND there is real shouting taking place!

Gist of Idea

If parallelism is true, how does the mind know about the body?

Source

Jason Crease (works [2001]), quoted by PG - Db (ideas)


A Reaction

This seems to capture the absurdity of Leibniz's proposal. I experience what my brain is doing, but not because my brain is doing it. I would never know if God had made a slight error in setting His two 'clocks'; their accuracy is just a pious hope.