Cartesian Dualism

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Do we possess private introspective knowledge concerning our inner being? Or is talk of my inner self and illusion part of folk psychology. Cartesian dualism named after René Descartes allows us to have introspection on our thoughts beliefs and desires. Whereas Churchland argues that inner talk about being is ultimately illusory and caused by brain states, however Churchland argues that we not be able to reduce all mental states to brain states in general nevertheless mental l states are brain states. Cartesian dualism on the other hand believes that there are two ontology’s mental and the physical that is separate ontology to interact with each other. This paper will look at Cartesian dualism and a eliminative materialism offering both…show more content…
The brain has evolved through physical processes alone and these physical processes can account for mental content since they are in reality are just brain states. Churchland argues that we need to remove talk of the mind as being folk psychology. Folk psychology inability to explain brain states because one on one match ups cannot be found. Folk psychology for Churchland is out dated concept and offers no explanatory power. In Science we replace our theories with more accurate understanding when it postulates a better explanatory power. For example we once postulated that phlogiston that was replaced with oxygen. New understanding eliminating our pass understanding and give us a better conception of the world. Mental states are similar to former understandings in science such as phlogiston. Belief that one is experiencing joy is similar to the belief in phlogiston is an outdated conception and inadequate and explaining brain function. Folk psychology is ineffective in explaining peoples behavior consider when one who experiences joy. The person is happy and expresses emotions common sense belief makes inference that the person is experiencing mental content concerning joy. Elimtiive materialism argues there is no mental state that is occurring in fact mental states do not exist. What is happing is fully explained concerning brain states and the function of…show more content…
That is it allows for a scientific understanding of the brain and its function. It allows for the understanding that pain is a function of a material process. When one feels pain C. fibers are vibrating in a certain manner causing the pain. Churchland's philosophy also solves the mind-body problem instead of having two separate ontology and trying to figure out how the immaterial causes the physical it removes the immaterial to just the material process interaction is much easier to account for interactions. Consider addiction people have to narcotics, alcohol and other drugs are affected by the neural dependent with the brain. Thus interaction can be explained via materialism. Churchland's argument allows for Ockham’s razor to explain the functioning of the brain without multiplying entity's in order to explain how the brain works. Weakness in Churchland's arguments for Eliminative Materialism is that one is well aware when they are in pain or experience happiness. One has introspective experience of the event and is well aware of it. For example one can describe the pain of infected root canal and know it was like to experience such event. Thoughts, pain and desire appear to exist and are present to us. Consider pain itself pain is not theory it is experiences one is aware of the affected root canal and that one is self-aware of the tremendous discomfort. The word
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