The Philosophy of Mind Introduction The philosophy of body and mind has been a highly debated topic since its launch in the 17th centaury by Rene Descartes. Since then, many philosophers have written on the subject matter and many theories have emerged as a product of this lively debate. In this essay, I will analyze and critique a selection of philosophers who ponder on the body-mind topic since the 17th century, and ultimately evaluate Paul M. Chruchland’s…

The tenets of analytic functionalism worked well at attempting to align the philosophies of behaviorism and the identity theory, and though there are many objections to the theory’s method of formulaic definition of mental states, I find that analytic functionalism is a plausible theory that describes the mind. I find that in determining a means in which to define mental states, analytic functionalism demonstrates an ontological method in which one can characterize the mind using statements that…

Functionalism and Qualia Introduction: It can be very difficult to find a universal proposal that offers a solution to the mind body problem. While solutions to this problem differ greatly, all attempt to answer questions such as: What makes a mental state mental? What is the fundamental nature of the mental? Or more specifically speaking, what makes a thought a thought? Or what makes a pain a pain? In an attempt to answer these questions, many philosophers over the centuries have rejected, proposed…

The Philosophy of the Mind Transcendentalism is the view that the basic truth of the universe lies beyond the knowledge obtained from the senses, a knowledge that transcendentalists regard as the mere appearance of things (Adventures 162). Transcendentalists believe the mind is where ideas are formed. The transcendentalist ideas of God, man, and the universe were not all original, but were a combination of other philosophies and religions. One of the major questions of philosophy is "What…

According to Liebniz, "perception and consciousness cannot possibly be explained mechanically, and, hence, could not be physical processes," (Kulstad, 2007). Liebniz's philosophy of mind point of view contrasts directly with that of modern science, which can easily reduce the phenomena of mind to the brain. We might think that the mind is not identical to the brain if we ascribe to a metaphysical perspective like that of Liebniz. There are human experiences that cannot be reduced to materialism alone…

Peircean Turn in Analytic Philosophy ABSTRACT: Criticisms of analytic philosophy have increased in intensity in the last decade, denouncing specifically its closing in on itself, which results in barrenness and ignorance of real human problems. The thought of C. S. Peirce is proposed as a fruitful way of renewing the analytic tradition and obviating these criticisms. While this paper is largely a reflection on Hilary Putnam’s study of the historical development of analytic philosophy, not only can…

Philosophy of Mind In contemporary philosophy of mind, talk of perception has fallen out of favour. Indeed most writers to deny perception altogether, or claim that they do not matter. Instead they reduce perception to reality, or speak of the “really real.” Perception are said to be “nothing but” particles or waves or structured brain events. “Always already” “Nothing but” matter and motion. One influential philosopher of mind, Paul Churchland in his book The Engine of Reason, The Seat of the Soul…

Philosophy of mind had come across when philosophers had an idea of the concepts regarding the human mind and its mysteries. This branch of psychology had intended to elaborate and study the nature and aspects of the human mind, also how these concepts such as mental events, mental functions and consciousness would connect to each other, through the human brain and body. Philosophy of mind became one of the central areas of philosophy as the skills and abilities of metalizing are used to treat individuals…

Functionalism is the belief that every type of mental state is identical to a certain type of functional state. According to functionalism, your mind is a computer program and your body is what runs the computer program. According to this theory, there is no sophisticated nature of the mind as presented in identity theory but the mind in itself has been reduced to being a system that realizes computational states. As a result, the mind body problem has been reduced to the body being a short of machine…

The Science of Mind philosophy is not an abstract spiritual theory, but rather, a study of Consciousness, and, specifically, our expression of It. Ernest Holmes considered this study of Mind to be a science, in that it correlates principles and practices that can be applied and proven to be effective. Even so, the correlation of principles and practices is not what makes the Science of Mind a practical philosophy to live by. Anyone can deduce principles and devise practices that enhance and…