Mind-body problem - Mind-body problem The Mind-body problem is something which troubles philosophers of mind. One way to put it: if mind and matter are the same kind of thing, why do we think they're not? If they're different kinds of things, then how are they different, can they interact, and, if so, how? The following is a portion of Larrys Text that has been wikified; further wikification is encouraged The mind-body problem is the problem of determining the relationship between the human body and its mind. Are our minds something different from our physical bodies? Suppose we think that the mind is a substance of some sort -- a mental substance. We might still ask: Is there some way to explain what the mind, a mental substance, is,.
Functionalism (philosophy of mind) - Functionalism (philosophy of mind) Functionalism is a term in philosophy developed as an answer to the mind-body problem because of perceived lack of success exhibited by both identity theorists and logical behaviourists. Functionalism's explanation of consciousness, or the mental, is best understood when considering the analogy made by functionalists between the mind and the modern digital computer. More specifically, the analogy is made to the machine that the Church-Turing thesis posits which is capable of, in principle, computing almost any given algorithm (the algorithm must have certain limitations); namely the Turing machine. A Turing machine must possess certain characteristics: Data input (analogous to the senses in humans). Data output (analogous to both behaviour and memory). Functional states (analogous to mental states), The ability to move from one functional.
Dualism (philosophy of mind) - Dualism (philosophy of mind) In philosophy of mind, dualism is a set of beliefs which begin with the claim that mental events and physical events are totally different kinds of events. It is constrasted with varying kinds of monism, including materialism and phenomenalism. Dualism is one answer to the mind-body problem. Pluralism holds that there are even more kinds of events or "stuff" in the world. Note that other fields have their own meanings for "dualism". See dualism. Types of dualism Various kinds of dualism are distinguished based on if and how mind and matter are thought to causally interact. In dualistic interactionism (also Cartesian dualism, as it was Descartes' position), arguably the most popular and widespread version, mind events can cause physical events and vice versa. Thus.
Subject-object problem - Subject-object problem In philosophy, the subject-object problem is a problem chiefly for Marxists, and for that idealistic revision of Marxism that supplies the background for postmodernism, social construction, and a constellation of related movements. The problem arises out of the metaphysics of Hegel. Hegel's metaphysics distinguishes between subjects, roughly, observers; and objects, what is observed. Hegel attached deep significance to these statuses; subjects were active, internal, socially participant, gifted with cognition and will. Objects were passive, external, acted upon but never really internalized by the subjects. According to Hegel, the original philosopher of dialectics, the subject and object become thesis and antithesis, which according to his views unite in a new synthesis. Karl Marx's philosophy of dialectical materialism is founded on Hegel's doctrine of dialectics; although Marx, being.
Philosophy of mind - Philosophy of mind Philosophy of mind is the philosophical study of the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, and consciousness. These areas give rise to some very difficult problems and questions; there are many opinions as to their solutions and answers, if any. This article attempts to suggest the scope of the philosophy of mind and indicate some of the important questions, but does not provide answers. Table of contents showTocToggle("show","hide") 1 What is the mind? 2 Mental Events 3 What is involved in each type of cognitive process? 4 What is consciousness? 5 See also 6 Some philosophers working in this area 7 See also 8 External Links What is the mind? Is the mind nothing more than a series of particular thoughts, feelings,.
Out-of-body experience - Out-of-body experience An out-of-body experience (or OBE) is the subjective perception that one is no longer in one's body, while (generally) being able to perceive it from the outside. It is sometimes associated with near-death experiences, hypnopompic or hypnagogic dreamss, mystical trances or occult phenomena, and psychoactive drugs, mainly dissociative hallucinogens such as ketamine, DXM and PCP. An OBE may be contrasted with astral projection, which does not require the perception of one's own body from the outside, and which does not typically posit that one's consciousness or soul is actually travelling through our day-to-day physical reality. An OBE may also be contrasted with dreaming, lucid or otherwise, by the intense perception of being awake and of the reality of the experience. Not every OBE has exactly.
Many-minds interpretation - was first published by D. Albert and B. Loewer in their 1988 work Interpreting the Many Worlds Interpretation. The central problem of quantum theory is that it involves an unexplained duality in nature. For the majority of time systems will evolve according to the Schrödinger equation, evolving in a way that makes the system more and more indeterminate, becoming more "random" in the sense that its physical qualities can take on a greater range of values. The second half of the duality occurs instantaneously during measurement of those physical qualities, at which time the system "selects" a single value of the range of possible values. This process is known as wavefunction collapse, and has no explanation. Worse, the process of observation occurs "outside" the system, which presents a problem on its.
Mind - Mind The mind is a subject about which very much theorizing, experimenting, and expostulating has occurred in philosophy (studied under the heading philosophy of mind), psychology, and religion (where in theology it is often considered alongside such related notions as soul and spirit). Some people think it is synomous with the brain. Substance or bundle? There is a popular problem in philosophy about what the mind is, which can be presented as follows. It is commonplace to wonder what the mind, or soul (if you will), is. One can identify individual thoughts, individual feelings, in one's mind. But what is this mind that has these thoughts and feelings? One can imagine all sorts of mental goings-on, but what is it to imagine the mind itself? It.
Mind transfer - Mind transfer In Transhumanism and science fiction, mind transfer (also referred to as mind uploading or mind downloading, depending on one's perspective) refers to the hypothetical transfer of a human mind either into a computer or other non-human receptacle, or from one human body to another. In the case where it is transferred into a computer, it would become a form of artificial intelligence. In the case where it is transferred into an artificial body to which its consciousness is confined, it would become a robot, albeit one which might claim ordinary human rights, certainly if the consciousness within were feeling (or were doing a good job of simulating) as if it 'were' the donor. However, even if uploading is theoretically possible, there is currently no.
James Mill - probably his first published notice of Bentham. In 1811 he co-operated with William Allen (1770-1843), quaker and chemist, in a periodical called the Philanthropist. He contributed largely to every number--his principal topics being Education, Freedom of the Press, and Prison Discipline (under which he expounded Bentham's "Panopticon"). He made powerful onslaughts on the Church in connexion with the Bell and Lancaster controversy, and took a prominent part in the discussions which led to the foundation of London University in 1825. In 1814 he wrote a number of articles, containing an exposition of utilitarianism, for the supplement to the fifth edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the most important being those on "Jurisprudence," "Prisons" and "Government." In 1818 the History of India was published, and obtained a great and immediate success. It brought.
John Carew Eccles - or Medicine with Andrew Fielding Huxley and Alan Lloyd Hodgkin. Bibliography How the Self Controls Its Brain Mind and Brain, editor See: The mind-body problem External Link http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/science/prat-bra.htm.
Joseph Louis Lagrange - II, in Berlin, for twenty years. It was Lagrange who developed the Mean Value Theorem and solved the isoperimetrical problem. Table of contents showTocToggle("show","hide") 1 Early years 2 Middle years 3 Later years 4 References 5 See Also Early years He was born in Turin. His father, who had charge of the Sardinian military chest, was of good social position and wealthy, but before his son grew up he had lost most of his property in speculations, and young Lagrange had to rely for his position on his own abilities. He was educated at the college of Turin, but it was not until he was seventeen that he showed any taste for mathematics - his interest in the subject being first excited by a memoir by Halley which he came across.
Identity and change - Identity and change In the philosophical field of metaphysics, the the problem of change is the question of how change can occur. Let's begin with a definition of the word "change." First, notice that when an object changes, it always changes in some particular way. A baby grows up, and so changes in the respects of size and maturity; a snake sheds its skin, and so changes in the respect of the skin it has. So here's a definition of "change": An object O changes with respect to property P iff O has P at one time and at a later time O does not have P. That seems to be what it means for a thing to change: it has a property at one time and later it does not.
Immortality - die." Spiritual Immortality, on the other hand, is a belief that is expressed in nearly every religious tradition. In both Western and Eastern religions, the spirit is an energy or force that transcends the mortal shell, and returns to either the heavens or the cycle of life, directly or indirectly depending on the tradition. Medical science, it is believed may extend human life, and some, like Cousteau, believe that biological forms have inherent limitations to their design; primarily their fragility, and inability to immediately morph to fit the environment. The way around Cousteau's predicament, may someday present itself in the ability to "exist" outside of the biological form. Technological immortality is a concept which postulates that the biological nature of humanity is only temporary; should technology permit, people may circumvent death.
Internet slang - FAQ --- "Frequently Asked Question" FFS --- "for fuck's sake!" FOAD --- "fuck off and die!" FOAF --- "friend of a friend", i.e. the dubious attribution given to urban legends FTP --- file transfer protocol FXP --- file eXchange protocol FYI --- "for your information" G2G, GTG --- "got to go" (used in chatrooms) or "good to go" (used mostly in online games). GAGF --- "go and get fucked" GFY --- "good for you" or "go fuck yourself". The use of this acronym is ambigious and not recommended. GG --- "good going" or "good game". Used sincerely in online games such as trivia, but more often used sarcastically when someone has done something foolish. Also, it is now becoming customary for all players to say "gg" when the game is over.
Intentionality - something that a machine could never achieve. Note that intentionality (-tion-) is not to be confused with intensionality (-sion-), a concept from semantics. See also: Chinese Room, Thomas Nagel, consciousness, mind-body problem, John Searle.
Incarnation of the demons - of the demons The incarnation of the demons has been a problem to Christian demonology and theology since early times. A very early form of incarnation of demons was the idea of demon possession, trying to explain that a demon entered the body of a person with some purpose or simply to punish that one for some allegedly committed sin. But this soon acquired bigger proportions, trying to explain how demons could seduce people to have sexual relationships with them or induce them to commit other sins. To Christian scholars demons had to manifest themselves in a visible and if possible tangible form. Basil of Caesarea was, apparently, the first who wrote on this subject. He believed that demons, to materialise, had to condense vapours and with them form the body.
Video game controversy - psychologists, religious organizations, or politicians for the level of violence, cruelty, and crime that some games allow players to act out. Examples are trivial to find, including Mortal Kombat and its sequels, a series of fighting games by Midway Games which since 1992 has rewarded players for beating up an opponent with martial arts moves, and then for executing a "Fatality" move, a particularly gruesome killing of the defeated character, in which the head and spine of the victim is ripped out of his body, the victim is beheaded with blood gouting out of his neck stump, and so forth. Another frequently-cited violent game is the extremely popular Grand Theft Auto 3 ("GTA 3") by Rockstar Games, in which the principal game activity is carjacking, and once a car is stolen,.
Isaac Newton (in-depth biography) - 1693 2.10 Initial Election to Parliament 3 Later life -- the Mint and the Royal Society 3.11 Appointment to the Mint 3.12 Fluxions 3.13 Bernoulli's Mathematical Challenge 3.14 End of the Professorship and Presidency of the Society 3.15 Second Edition of the Principia 3.16 The Longitude Problem Early life and achievements Birth and education Sir Isaac Newton (December 25, 1642 - March 20, 1727), the English mathematician and scientist, was born at Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, a hamlet in the parish of Colsterworth, Lincolnshire, about 6 miles from Grantham. His father (also named Isaac Newton) who farmed a small freehold property, died before his son's birth, a few months after his marriage to Hannah Ayscough, a daughter of James Ayscough of Market-Overton. When Newton was two years old his mother married Barnabas Smith, rector.
Henri Bergson - birth, and he obtained an early familiarity with the English language from his mother. Before he was nine, his parents crossed the English Channel and settled in France, Henri becoming a naturalized citizen of the Republic. In Paris from 1868 to 1878 he attended the Lycée Fontaine, now known as the Lycée Condorcet. While there he won a prize for his scientific work and another, when he was eighteen, for the solution of a mathematical problem. This was in 1877, and his solution was published the following year in Annales de Mathématiques. It is of interest as being his first published work. After some hesitation over his career, as to whether it should lie in the sphere of the sciences or that of "the humanities," he decided in favour of the.
