PHIL 1200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 32: Behaviorism
15 May 2017
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Document Summary
According to ryle, through our advancements in physical sciences, we have now a pretty good idea about physical processes, which govern the functioning of the body. But a mechanical physical account cannot explain mental processes. To explain those, or even to talk about those, we have a different vocabulary that includes the notions of thought, concept, impression, belief etc. Descartes and the other believers took this different vocabulary as an indication/proof that the mind is some other kind of stuff than the body which is, nevertheless causally connected to it. The fact that we are using different terms to talk about the mind does not mean that the mind is a different kind of thing (like the university, which is not different from its building etc. ) If minds are not some other exotic substance we can say about them what we say about all other material things.
