The theory of ladenness has been debated amongst philosophers for hundreds of years. The theory of ladenness debates whether one’s past experiences affect their perceived inputs or their interpretation of those inputs. Kuhn strongly believes that one’s experiences affect what they perceive, however Hanson provides strong evidence suggesting that what people perceive as their surroundings are indistinguishable, but their interpretations differ. While there is evidence to support both theories, I believe that Hanson better provides evidence by showing the strength of his theory while correspondingly arguing the flaws in Kuhn’s theory. To understand the theory of ladenness, we need to differentiate between perception and interpretation. Perception is the process where we become aware of our surroundings, while interpretation is the process were our minds absorb the information and comprehend it using information and experiences we have accumulated. Despite their differences, these two functions are essentially related. Together they allow us to become aware and react to our surroundings. We are constantly perceiving and subconsciously reacting to our surroundings, without any cognization. However, when we are presented with a problem, we force ourselves to use a deeper level of cognition to think through the problem. This mindful use of our cognitive abilities is what interpretation is, the application of our past experiences to comprehend what he have perceived. Rather than
In a series of relatively simple though complexly-worded (out of necessity) thought experiments regarding body-swapping and changes to memory and the mind, Bernard Williams attempts to demonstrate that identity should be identified with the body rather than with the mind when identity is extended into the future (and by extension during the present). That is, though it is typical for identity to be associated with the mind at any given moment, Williams argues that the logic that supports this intuitive association does not hold up over longer periods of time, and that anticipation of the future leads to an association of identity with the body rather than with the mind. Whether or not Williams is successful in this attempt is a matter of much debate, with this author finding some fundamental flaws in the very premise of the comparisons and thus the conclusions, however the argument is fairly elegant and persuasive and certainly worth of closer inspection. A careful reading of the argument might lead one to a conclusion opposite to that which was intended, but is no less rewarding for this unusual quirk.
Crime have existed over many centuries, different eras affect the flow of crime and within those eras. Furthermore amongst individuals, there was different way of thinking into how to reduce and eliminate occurred. The act of crime cannot be eliminated, as different individuals have different perspectives of crime and for theses reasons, have different methods of advocating and eliminating crime. This essay will firstly explore the views of Classical Theory, by looking at Cesane Beccaria, the father of Classical theory and Jeremy Bentham, the founder of Utilitarian and explore how there influences are incorporated into laws and regulations, around the world. Secondly, Positivism theory explores the biological, psychological and environment
She argues the reader can conceive of feeling the pain from the pinch while being disembodied and, because conceivability equals possibility, it is possible to feel pain without a physical state. For disembodied pain to be possible, sensations like pain cannot be identical to physical states. Therefore, physicalism must be false. (113) Gertler posits that thought experiments like hers are useful only when the concepts they involve are made clear and unambiguous. Both the concepts of the physical and of pain, she asserts, are not subject to lack of clarity or comprehension. (114) Since we have a “sufficiently comprehensive” understanding of these two central concepts in the thought experiment, the conceivability test provides justification for what is possible. If what we can conceive can be possible, then conceiving of disembodied pain, having satisfactory understanding of what pain means, results in the possibility of disembodied pain.
A strange loop, Hofstadter claims, comes about when a sufficiently powerful cognitive system is able to twist its perception back on itself so that it can observe itself in the way that it observes things in its environment. The result of this strange loop is that the cognitive system perceives what Hofstadter terms “downward causality”, and this in turn reinforces the concept of I-ness, self-awareness, or consciousness.
BibliographyBooks1.Burt, C. (1962). The concept of consciousness. British Journal of Psychology, 53, 229-2422.Carlson, N., & Buskist, W. (1997). Psychology: The science of behavior (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
In the essay “The Loss of the Creature”, Walker Percy highlights his observations on how people perceive the world. He argues that we have lost original, self-driven learning because people only measure their experiences based on other people’s expectations. He states how these preconceived expectations of our experiences give way to a symbolic complex. This complex is set by what people or “Layman” believe the experts have set. Therefore, their experience is only validated if people feel that they have met those criteria. He believes that people can only have a true experience if they forgo all those preconceived expectations and biases. Only then can people truly experience something at face value.
In context to reverting the process of habituation, Alain de Botton states,” I forced myself to obey a particular kind of mental command; to look around me as though I had never been in this place before. And slowly my travels began to bear fruit. Under the command to consider everything as of potential interest, objects released latent layers of value,” (De Botton, ). Here, he states that it is necessary to adapt a mindset in which you look at your surroundings and familiar objects from a way that one had previously not seen it before. By this, an individual can develop,” latent layers of value,” (De Botton, 63). Familiar objects in a habituated surrounding can exhibit deep, hidden meanings that one may not have realized before. At times it may feel like there is nothing to be discovered because one has become so habituated to one’s surroundings. Changing one’s perspective can reveal the true value of an object that had been long forgotten about. It can also remind an individual of the memories and experiences related to the object. When adapting an “open-minded mindset,” an individual can help differentiate between the ordinary and the extraordinary
Psychology is the scientific “study of the mind” (Gross, 2015) and behaviour, which includes the study of humans and animals. There are various approaches in modern psychology. A theoretical approach is a perspective which is someone’s view about human behaviour, there can be many different theories within an approach, however they all piece together the same assumptions. (McLeod, 2007). A theory is an attempt by theorists to try to explain behaviour. Theories are not facts but can be verified by testing. Theories can then be evaluated which I aim to achieve through this essay, where I will briefly explain the theoretical approaches in psychology and aim to focus on an analysis of each perspective which consists of the psychodynamic,
Individuals convey things with them all the time once a day. They may be physical, passionate, or otherworldly things. A few people could convey a traumatic past while others basically convey a sack of staple goods into their home. The things one conveys characterize them as a man and draws out their qualities and in addition their deformities. A few people may think about those things as weights while others consider them to be an exit from reality or as something to push them forward, something to have confidence in.
Psychology has been primarily viewed as a methodical system that seeks empirical evidence to explain nature, while theology is often viewed as reasoning based on man’s eternal destiny as discussed in biblical teachings. Falsities are held within both of these historical beliefs. Psychology often “considers questions for which empirical evidence is not available, or even possible,” (Entwistle, 2010, p. 125). Theology must not “ignore the fact that man is solidly a part of nature,” (Entwistle, 2010, p. 125). By drawing attention
In Martha Stout’s essay “When I Woke Up Tuesday Morning, It Was Friday”, she discusses how a person who has suffered a traumatic experience is most likely to dissociate their individual self from that situation and block it from their mind completely. This form of a solution allows the person to forget the experience and not feel the pain. In “Immune to Reality” Daniel Gilbert describes how every human being contains a psychological immune system, which works to shield us from horrible experiences that threaten our happiness. When experiencing a traumatic event, the psychological immune system responds by “cooking up the facts”, meaning taking the facts of the situation and turning the negative aspects of it into positive views. At first
The Cognitive Perspective: This is a way to explain how an individual’s thoughts and explanations have a profound effect on their actions feelings
Theory is a journey to uncover the past and improve the future. By uncovering and analyzing a discipline’s theoretical journey, insight and self-awareness are gained. According to Meleis (2012), “Theories are reservoirs in which related knowledge is articulated and organized into meaningful wholes” (p.33). By implementing and analyzing theories, empowerment and guidance for the future is obtained.
To define consciousness we must make an assumption, that an equilateral state of being is common throughout all who can express it. Be it a normal waking consciousness, or an altered state of behaviour. To develop a testable parameter we rely on physiological responses, which are relative and subjected, if a persons conscious awareness overrides their physical response objective measures become unreliable and thus invalid. Because of this we have struggled to define consciousness, philosophers such as David Chalmers equate the mind and the body to be distinctive seperate forms of sensory transference. Like a passenger in the vehicle of the body, this dualist method of thinking suggest that the mental state can’t be condensed into physical systems.
Many philosophers agree that consciousness provides a very difficult problem in understanding the mind-body concept; this is why from a materialist’s point of view, the problem is not sufficient enough for giving one’s attention. Thomas Negal on the other hand, finds the problem rather interesting. Negal’s “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?” proposes a number of arguments, one of them which states that the subjective approach to the mind-body problem should be abandoned for a more objective approach (Nagel 1974, pp. 436). The purpose of this essay is to show that Negal’s arguments are sufficient in describing whether it is indeed possible to know what it is like to be a bat, portraying his arguments in an orderly fashion, and ultimately