Single Idea 4081

[catalogued under 17. Mind and Body / D. Property Dualism / 2. Anomalous Monism]

Full Idea

Davidson's anomalous monism says that events are causes, so we can identify mental and physical events without having to identify their properties.

Clarification

'Anomalous monism' means 'one substance which is a misfit within natural laws'

Gist of Idea

Anomalous monism says causes are events, so the mental and physical are identical, without identical properties

Source

report of Donald Davidson (Mental Events [1970]) by Tim Crane - Elements of Mind 2.18

Book Reference

Crane,Tim: 'Elements of Mind' [OUP 2001], p.62


A Reaction

As Fodor insists, a thing like a mountain has properties at different levels of description. We can have 'property dualism' and full-blown reductive identity.