Recap on your whiteboards

Pick an object in this room that is out of reach Try to move the object just with the power of thought Why could you not do it? Repeat experiment with your ears And then toes. Why is it easier to move some things just with the power of thought, than others?

Objections to property dualism Causal interaction Learning objective: To understand the problems with interactionism and how Chalmers, and other PDs, might respond. Key Words

Property dualism says… At least some mental properties (phenomenal properties) are distinct from physical ones. They are not ontologically dependent on physical properties in the way that Physicalism claims. But there can be basic laws on nature that correlate them What do interactionist property dualists think? Distinct mental properties causally affect both other mental states and physical states.

What was the main, conceptual, problem with interactionist substance dualism? (Elisabeth) How can something not in space cause things in space Does PD have this same problem? No, mental properties are properties of physical objects. The mental properties make a difference to how the physical world changes. E.g. my being in pain makes a difference to what I do next – jump up and down.

Objection to interactionist property dualism – we can’t give an account of how mental properties would cause physical effects. But Chalmers says, this is an objection to any fundamental causal relation. (e.g. gravity – we don’t know how it works. If it did it would not be a fundamental force). PD says mental properties are fundamental in the same way that fundamental physical properties are.

What were the empirical issues with ID? Incompatible with physics and neuroscience. (closed system of energy, how does the mind move the body – we know that body movements are caused by the brain. But, Chalmers says we don’t have strong evidence of this. There are interpretations of quantum mechanics that suggest consciousness plays a causal role in physical events. We also don’t know enough about neuroscience to say that the causal story of how the brain works is all physical.

Is ID a plausible theory of mind Is ID a plausible theory of mind? 12 marks – Explain how a Property Dualist may respond to objections levelled against interactionist dualism.