more from Donald Davidson

Single Idea 16041

[catalogued under 17. Mind and Body / D. Property Dualism / 5. Supervenience of mind]

Full Idea

The supervenience [of mental characteristics on the physical] might be taken to mean that there cannot be two events alike in all physical respects but differing in some mental respect, or an object cannot differ mentally without altering physically.

Gist of Idea

Supervenience of the mental means physical changes mental, and mental changes physical

Source

Donald Davidson (Mental Events [1970], I)

Book Reference

Davidson,Donald: 'Essays on Actions and Events' [OUP 1982], p.214


A Reaction

This is the first occasion on which Davidson introduced his notion of supervenience. Supervenience is often taken to be one-way. The first implies physical causing mental; his second implies that mental causes physical.