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Summary 2.3 Problem 8
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Summary for problem 8 for Block 2.3
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Problem 1Pre- discussion:
Determinism: everything that occurs is based on laws of nature. Everything is predetermined
based on what has already happened, which means that if you gather enough information, you
can predict outcomes based on previous information
Dualism: there is another reality we cannot see, in addition to the reality we witness
Empiricism: knowledge is based on perception, the senses and experimentation. Hard-core
empiricists don’t even think cognitive processing is necessary for acquiring knowledge. Other
empiricists think cognitive processing can help in the acquisition of knowledge
Monism: there is only one form of existence, either material or ideal
Idealism: the truth consists of ideas, and is not a physical thing. Therefore, an idealist is also a
monist
Materialism: everything is matter, even psychological processes. Therefore, a materialist is also a
reductionist
Nativism: true knowledge is innate, present upon birth
Rationalism: Knowledge happens through logical, mental operations. According to real hard-core
rationalists, perception is unnecessary (Plato). According to other rationalists, knowledge is
acquired through reasoning about sensory perception/perceptual observation (Aristotle)
Thorne & Henley & Hergenhahn
Recurring issues in history:
1. Mind-body problem:
Some say people have both a body and a mind, some say there is only one body
and one mind
If there is both a body and mind, are they connected or separate?
The body is mortal, so a belief in immortality requires a soul (mind)
2 solutions to this problem: monism & dualism
o Monism:
Assumes only 1 underlying reality, either mind or body, but not both
The major forms of monism are:
Materialism: assumes that the only underlying reality is physical, there is
only body
E.g. Democritus: claims all and thought and action can be reduced to
the electrochemical activity of the brain
Mentalism/Idealism (immaterialism, subjective idealism): assumes that
reality exists in mind, in the absence of a perceiving mind the physical world
is irrelevant, ideas are the ultimate reality
, o Dualism:
Assumes that both body and mind exist
The major forms of dualism are
Interactionism: assumes that mind and body are separate but they interact,
mind can influence body and vice versa
An example supporter of this is Descartes
Parallelism (psychophysical parallelism): assumes that mind and body are
separate entities that don’t interact, they are like two clocks that started
simultaneously that always have the same time even though they have no
effect on each other
o Double Aspectism: a third solution
Assumes that mind and body are just 2 aspects of the same things, like the observe
and reverse of a coin
They exist simultaneously, they are inseparable without interacting
Proposed by Spinoza
o Epiphenomenalism: a 4th position to mind-body problem, closely related to materialism,
assumes that the brain’s activity produces mind as a sort of by-product, the mind doesn’t
influence the brain or behavior
2. Reductionism vs non-reductionism:
Reductionism: looks for increasingly more basic explanations of psychological
phenomena
Non-reductionism: asserts that psychological phenomena should stand on their
own, without the need for biological or biochemical explanations
3. The nature vs nurture controversy:
Nurturists: argue for the learning side
Nativists: fundamental elements seem innate, but they accept that much of
behavior is learned
PLATO (428-327 B.C.):
Nativist, idealist (monist), rationalist (relied on deductive reasoning: reasoning from a general
principle to a particular)
He founded the Academy where philosophy and mathematics were taught, the Academy
survived 900 years
His writings consist of 30 dialogues categorized as early, middle and late
o Theory of Forms:
Everything in the empirical world is a manifestation of a pure Form (idea) that exists
in the abstract
There were 2 worlds according to Plato: a world Knowledge and a world of Opinion
1. The world of Knowledge contains the Forms or Ideas which are universals known
only through reason
2. The world of Opinion, contains the changing particulars of the material world
conveyed to us by our senses
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