Authors |
|
Abstract |
Physicalism demands an explication of what it means for something to be physical. But the most popular way of providing
one—viz., characterizing the physical in terms of the postulates of a scientifically derived physical theory—is met with serious trouble. Proponents of physicalism can either appeal to current physical theory or to some future physical theory (preferably an ideal and complete one). Neither option is promising: currentism almost assuredly renders physicalism false and futurism appears to render it indeterminate or trivial. The purpose of this essay is to argue that attempts to characterize the mental encounter a similar dilemma: currentism with respect to the mental is likely to be inadequate or contain falsehoods and futurism leaves too many significant questions about the nature of mentality unanswered. This new dilemma, we show, threatens both sides of the current debate surrounding the metaphysical status of the mind.
|
Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory.David J. Chalmers - 1996 - Oxford University Press.
From Metaphysics to Ethics: A Defence of Conceptual Analysis.Frank Jackson - 1998 - Oxford University Press.
Neurophilosophy: Toward A Unified Science of the Mind-Brain.Patricia Smith Churchland - 1986 - MIT Press.
View all 96 references / Add more references
Citations of this work BETA
No citations found.
Similar books and articles
Current Physics and 'the Physical'.Agustín Vicente - 2011 - British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 62 (2):393-416.
Problems with the Physical in Physicalism.Phila Mfundo Msimang - 2015 - South African Journal of Philosophy 34 (3):336-345.
Why ‘Non-Mental’ Won’T Work: On Hempel’s Dilemma and the Characterization of the ‘Physical’.Neal Judisch - 2008 - Philosophical Studies 140 (3):299 - 318.
Non-Reductive Physicalism, Mental Causation and the Nature of Actions.Markus E. Schlosser - 2009 - In H. Leitgeb & A. Hieke (eds.), Reduction: Between the Mind and the Brain. Ontos.
Physicalism as a Research Programme.Duško Prelević - 2018 - Grazer Philosophische Studien 95 (1):15-33.
The Origins of Qualia.Tim Crane - 2000 - In Tim Crane & Sarah Patterson (eds.), The History of the Mind-Body Problem. London: Routledge.
How to Keep the 'Physical' in Physicalism.Andrew Melnyk - 1997 - Journal of Philosophy 94 (12):622-637.
How Can My Mind Move My Limbs? Mental Causation From Descartes to Contemporary Physicalism.Jaegwon Kim - 2000 - Philosophic Exchange 30 (1):5-16.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2021-04-26
Total views
181 ( #64,678 of 2,505,145 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
52 ( #16,398 of 2,505,145 )
2021-04-26
Total views
181 ( #64,678 of 2,505,145 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
52 ( #16,398 of 2,505,145 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads