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Published byAlvin Haynes Modified over 9 years ago
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Is Consciousness a brain process?
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What does it take even to entertain the possibility that minds are nothing more than brains? i. e. Maybe this sentence is true: “The sentence ‘Your mind is exactly your brain and nothing else.’ refers to one and only one thing discribed two ways.” The logical independence issue
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Maybe this sentence is true: “The sentence ‘Your mind is exactly your brain and nothing else.’ refers to one and only one thing discribed two ways.” Maybe this sentence is true: “The sentence ‘bla bla bla is exactly da la la.’ refers to one and only one thing discribed two ways.” T or F : b = d is like a = a ? Logical independence tries to give a criteria for an answer. Exercise: abstract out the content.
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Place maintains that: Logical independence does not hold for mind-brain type identity. Therefore sentences asserting mind-brain identity are POSSIBLY true. (pg 46)
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The form of the argument: Certain RULES OF LANGUAGE dictate acceptance or rejection of competing ontologies. (R) = a relation b = a set of characteristics. c = alternative set of characteristics. a = a single object. (f)a ) is a definition. If (((R) bc )a designates the expression (f)a ) and ( set b is unique to a ) then the expression “ (f)a “ implies the existence of the set c by definition. What is logical independence and how is the implication arrived at?
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Whenever a person has two characteristics, b and c, expressed by ‘b’ and ‘c’ and b is true of all and only persons using the defining word ‘b’ entails the independent existence of everything c about the person expressed by the word ‘c’. Put another way independence asserts and Place Denies that:
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Place maintains that logical independence is a valid indicator of 0ntological distinctions, But that it does not apply to the case of persons., i.e., it does not show that minds and bodies are different ontological entities.
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What is the argument that logical indepencence doesn’t hold. Independence doesn’t hold when it cannot be verified via simultaneous scientific operations! Crucial test for sameness: If Theory + observation fails to yield explanation of ordinary man observation then reject identity hypothesis, i.e. gives rise to Rylian dispositions (pg. 58).
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