Question 1

Behaviorism __________.

Accepted Answer

Behaviorism rejects dualism, which is the belief that the mind and body are separate entities. Instead, behaviorism focuses solely on observable behavior and emphasizes the role of environmental stimuli in shaping behavior.

Question 2

Ryle discussed __________, which generally means to mistake one type of thing for another.

Accepted Answer

Ryle discussed category mistake, which occurs when someone incorrectly assigns an object or idea to a category to which it does not belong, leading to a misunderstanding and confusion about its nature.

Question 3

According to Ryle, a(n) __________ is a tendency for something to happen given certain conditions.

Accepted Answer

Ryle defines a disposition as a tendency for something to happen given certain conditions. Attitudes and determinations are not necessarily linked to specific conditions or situations, while behavior refers to the actual actions taken rather than a potential to act.

Question 4

__________ argued that because the two languages that we could use to describe mental-neurological events were so different, the thing(s) that they referred to must be different as well.

Accepted Answer

Jerome Shaffer argued that the distinct languages used to describe mental and neurological events imply that the things they refer to must be different, highlighting a dualistic perspective.

Question 5

__________ argues that, sensations are nothing over and above brain processes.

Accepted Answer

J.J.C. Smart is known for advocating the identity theory of mind, which argues that sensations and mental states are nothing over and above brain processes.

Question 6

__________ believed that with our increasing knowledge of neurology, our ordinary language about human behavior would be seriously revised.

Accepted Answer

This statement aligns with the views of Paul Churchland, a philosopher of neuroscience who argued that our folk psychology (ordinary language about human behavior) would need to be revised as we gain more knowledge of the brain and nervous system.

Question 7

The __________ are materialists but they are not reductionists; they believe that consciousness is a result of the complicated connections that go on in the brain.

Accepted Answer

Connectionists are materialists who believe that consciousness arises from complex neural connections in the brain, without reducing it to simple physical processes.

Question 8

__________ had a view similar to those of Merleau-Ponty and Husserl, he argued for what he called "cognitive experience."

Accepted Answer

Galen Strawson had a view similar to those of Merleau-Ponty and Husserl, and he argued for what he called "cognitive experience."

Question 9

David Chalmers has made use of the notion of __________ to challenge physicalist views of the mind.

Accepted Answer

David Chalmers has used the concept of "zombies" in philosophical discussions to challenge physicalist views of the mind. These "philosophical zombies" are hypothetical beings that are identical to normal human beings in every way except that they lack conscious experience. This thought experiment is used to argue against physicalism by suggesting that consciousness cannot be fully explained by physical processes alone.

Question 10

The dual aspect theory seems similar to Merleau-Ponty's notion of a unified body. What are the differences and similarities in these views? Could these theories be combined in an interesting way? Why or why not? Where does the identity theory fit in? How does it compare with the other two accounts?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The dual aspect theory seems similar to...

Question 11

The argument for functionalism is ultimately concerned with the relations between elements of the brain; mental acts occur as a "function" of elements. Logical behaviorism claims that the mind is only the "pattern" of our behavior. What is different between these two accounts? What is similar about these accounts? In what ways are they using the same ideas to provide different accounts of the mind?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The argument for functionalism is ultimately concerned...

Question 12

Can an adequate behaviorist account of a nonhuman animal's consciousness be given? A sparrow's? A dog's? A chimpanzee's? If behaviorism fits some of these cases and not others, how would you separate them?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Can an adequate behaviorist account of a...

Question 13

Write your account of a debate between Ryle and Nagel on the question of the nature of consciousness. Who do you side with, and why?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Write your account of a debate between...

Question 14

Explain Husserl's concept of intentionality. Does this solve the mind-body problem? If so, how? If not, why not?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain Husserl's concept of intentionality. Does this...

Question 15

Why do you suppose it was much easier for Descartes to prove the existence of his own mind than anyone else's? Why was Descartes's proof of his own mental existence foundational? How did he eventually argue for the existence of other minds?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why do you suppose it was much...

Question 16

Differentiate between two senses in which an occurrence was said to be explained, according to Ryle. For instance: Why did the glass break? One explanation is "because a stone hit it," and another is "because it is brittle." Which explanation is causal, and which is expressing an underlying law like proposition? How did Ryle apply this concept of "different senses of an explanation" to the concept of "disposition" in his analysis of the mind?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Differentiate between two senses in which an...

Question 17

Differentiate between the two senses of the meaning of "identity," that is, empirical identity could be discovered through observation, experimentation, and experience, whereas logical identity is about synonymous terminology.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Differentiate between the two senses of the...

Question 18

Why do eliminative materialists believe that a smooth intertheoretic reduction between folk psychology and neurobiology is not possible? They don't think that mental states, such as thoughts, desires, fears, beliefs, and so forth, match up in a one-to-one correspondence to brain states (i.e., particular patterns of neuronal firings). Paul Churchland, for one, was convinced that folk-psychological terms were not simply incomplete representations of our inner states but rather that they were misrepresentations, in the way phlogiston was. Use the phlogiston example to argue the eliminative materialist's case that the poverty of our current conceptual framework will be overhauled with the advancement of neuroscience.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why do eliminative materialists believe that a...

Question 19

In which sense do identity theorists such as J. J. C. Smart and their critics such as Jerome Shaffer mean that "thought" and "brain process" are or are not, identical? Hint: Is it correct to say that the terms water and H₂O are synonyms, or do water and H₂O have different properties (e.g., water is wet, but an H₂O molecule is not wet) and do not, therefore, have the same meaning?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In which sense do identity theorists such...

Question 20

Merleau-Ponty attacked __________ from the side that has so far seemed least controversial, the idea that the human body is just another "bit of matter."

Accepted Answer

The answer of Merleau-Ponty attacked __________ from the side that...

Quiz 4: Mind and Body