Philosophy of Mind, Brain and Behavior
Lecture 1
Socrates’ questions:
1. What is.. the mind? What is its relation to the body
2. What do you mean by that exactly
3. What arguments can you give for that idea
4. Is that really true though
What is the mind; self-control
The marshmallow test
Self-control = blood glucose levels
- But mental capacity of self-control is taken to be something physical
- Older idea
- Mind-body identity theory
self-control = deliberation winning out over impulses
- Thinking (something mental), in conflict with impulses (physical)
- M-e: wanting another one, so thinking about that and waiting
Self-control = self-initiated manipulation of surroundings to regulate conflicting impulses in the
service of enduringly valued goals
- M-e: moving away from the marshmallows, putting them under the table, distracting
themselves etc. (not really enduringly valued goals)
- 4E cognition (embedded/extended view of the mind)
What is science; self-control
Ego depletion effect: idea that there is a limited reservoir of mental energy. When you are
rested/morning it is easier to resist temptation. Harder when you are hungry, tired etc.
- Failure to replicate (replication crisis): people were re-analysing the earlier method analysis
and conclude that no effect was found
Should you discard the theory? Failure to replicate, not falsified. Due to time passing?
New circumstances?
Mind-body problem
What is the relationship between the mind and the body?
What is the relationship between the mental realm and the physical realm (realm of thoughts,
sensations, emotions vs the realm of tables, bodies, neurons, atoms)
,Material body vs immaterial mind
Outer realm (uncertain) vs inner realm (more certain)
- still being discussed, outer world only via perceptions (matrix)
Mind-body dualism: The mental and the physical are both real and neither can be assimilated to the
other.
- Substance dualism: things
- Property dualism: properties (A physical thing like the brain can has 2 types of properties:
physical (bv: weight) mental (bv: conscious experiences)
- Predicate dualism: terms in our language (psychological terms are necessary for a full
description of the world, not be reduced to physical terms)
Substance/Cartesian dualism
René Descartes Meditations
- Mind: a thinking thing
- Body: an extended thing
I doubt (think) therefore I am
He doesn’t leave the physical behind, but he can only be certain of thinking, so he associates who
he is with the mind. (Radical doubt)
X = Y, only when X and Y share all properties (same colour, same weight, same size etc. but
different place in space)
Premise 1: I can doubt the existence of my body
Premise 2: I cannot doubt the existence of my thinking
Conclusion: Therefore, my body and my thinking cannot be the same thing
Premise 1: I can divide up my body
Premise 2: My mind cannot be divided up
Conclusion: Therefore, my body and my mind cannot be the same thing
Counterarguments
The interaction problem (Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia): How can an immaterial substance act on a
material substance?
- Descartes’ proposed that the pineal gland serves as the interface between the physical and
mental realms. Pineal gland is uniquely positioned to act as a bridge between the immaterial
mind and material body. When the mind intends to perform a voluntary action, it sends
signals to the pineal gland, which then directs the movement of the animal spirits, causing
bodily actions to occur.
Alright there was no evidence
, The morning star and the evening star: Venus perceived in different places in different times of the
day.
- An extended thing and a thinking thing, may be the same thing after all, even though
differently perceived.
Introspection: process of examining/reflecting upon one’s own thoughts/feelings/mental state (inner
realm); Wilhelm Wundt
Every observation must, in order to make certain, be capable of being repeated several times
under the same conditions.
Main problem: Reports cannot be verified, let alone falsified, by others
