Month: September 2013

The Persistence of Mental Attitudes: Folk Psychological Concepts vs Eliminative Materialism

Introduction and ContextWith eliminative materialism, we saw a reaction to dualism. Since folk psychological theories of mind got it so wrong (i.e., dualism), eliminative materialists argued we need to abandon everything related to folk psychology–including the concepts of belief and desire–and develop entirely new concepts that arise organically from modern scientific observations about the brain. […]

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Critical Thinking Reboot

This is the email I’m sending all my critical thinking students.  The class is getting stale and I need to try a different approach.  Subject: Dear Respected Ones, Dear Respected Ones, GREETINGS, Permit me to inform you of my desire of going into business relationship with you. I got your contact from the International web […]

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Brain Damage, Mind Damage, and Dualism (Phelan, Mandelbaum, and Nichols)

Introduction and Context:In describing what philosophy does, I’ve heard Prof. Todd Jones (of UNLV) say “philosophy is usually about one of two things:  Things that are so abstract and obscure that most people wouldn’t bother to think about them, and things that are so obvious that most people wouldn’t bother to think about them.”  Substance […]

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Descartes and Philosophy of Mind: The Conceivability Argument and the Divisibility Argument

Introduction and Context:Watch the Video first: http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/9CqbO_5FKRc&source=uds https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CqbO_5FKRc So, is the brain the mind?  Is the mind the brain?  Are they separate things?  If so, are you your brain or your mind?  Or are you somehow both but they aren’t the same thing?  Are you confused? Poor Karl.  Lets try to help him clear up […]

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Gettier: The Challenge to the Traditional Conception of Knowledge

Introduction and ContextGettier’s “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?” is considered to be one of–if not the most–important articles of 20th Century philosophy.  Pre-Gettier, the standard definition of knowledge (since at least Aristotle) was “justified true belief”.  Pretty much everyone we’ve studied so far held this account of knowledge to be correct (with the exception of Goldman who wrote post-Gettier […]

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Russell’s Argument for Matter and Criticism of Berkeley’s Idealism

Before reading this post it is recommended but not necessary that you read the prior post on Berkeley since, in the first part, Russell is responding to his arguments.Introduction and ContextRussell is doing two things in Ch. 2 of The Problems of Philosophy.  The overall project can be viewed as a proposed solution to Descartes’ skepticism: i.e, […]

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Berkeley: The Argument for Idealism and the Argument Against Skepticism

Introduction and Context:  Locke and Primary and Secondary PropertiesTo really understand Berkeley’s arguments, you have to understand what issues and positions he was responding to. Descartes left us with a problem:  Since we can never “get out of our own heads,” how do we know that our ideas and perceptions of the external world of […]

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