Philosophy 2400F/G Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Property Dualism, Mental Property, Physicalism

• School: Western University
• Department: Philosophy
• Course: Philosophy 2400F/G
• Professor: Sheldon Chow

Document Summary

This brain has all sorts of physical properties. Intramural dispute among dualists: substance dualists (e. g. plato, leibniz and descartes) answer no. If property dualism is true, then the human brain, despite being physical, is very different from standard physical objects, e. g. rocks, chairs, flowers and toes: for consider: the latter only have physical properties no non-physical mental properties. Mental properties are seated in non-physical/immaterial souls (minds), not brains: property dualists answer yes. We don"t possess nor are we identical with non- physical immaterial souls: we only possess physical brains. If you are a philosopher of the mind in the 20/21 century you are more likely to be a property dualist. We"ll revisit these other views later on in this course): property dualism is not jus an alternative to substance dualism but also an alternative to positions on other side of the spectrum, constitutes the middle ground position.