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Sat 3 Dec, 2005 05:11 am
For me the important consideration in all of this is that, before Descartes, philosophy considered it was possible to know objects with the mind because there was a direct connection between mind and the material world. Descartes severed this connection and thereafter mind and body were disconnected and body was material and mind was spirit. These disconnect resulted in many important aspects of modern culture.
Philosophy that accepts this split holds twin principles: nature or matter on one hand, and spirit, God, ego, etc. on the other. Humans are creatures harboring two distinctly different realities within one structure. We are bipartite beings. Thought, especially theoretical thought is a substance of the spirit thus intellectual, moral, artistic and such are activities of the spirit. Consciousness is the property of the spirit and because spirit transcends the world of matter then philosophers surmise consciousness is autonomous and independent, governed by non-material principles.
Much of this stuff, including quotes, comes from "Philosophy in the Flesh". Cognitive science reunites body and mind in the theory described in this book.
Chuck-
They've never been apart.They can't be.They are one and the same thing.
spendius wrote:Chuck-
They've never been apart.They can't be.They are one and the same thing.
I assume you are speaking only for yourself and not for Western culture.
Oh no Chuck.
It's the modern materialist approach.fresco will probably be able to explain it more fully than I can.
He seems to be familiar with Wittgenstein,Ryle,Armstrong et al.
This could develop into something interesting. Similar to Spendius (although I will never admit to it) I do not think that mind and body are separate. But then again I was born in New York so that might be part of it...something happens when you are riding those subway trains...you realize all is one and one is all.
No,no no sturgie.
It's very boring.It's so obvious.If "mind" was separate from "body" it would need to be immaterial.If it is material,which it is,then it's a part of body and thus body.
Most of the world considers that mind and body are different in kind and that has been the case I guess forever. I do not accept that proposition.
Whether humans are bipartite is not important, it's just semantics. The way I view it is that we can prove our existence by communicating and affecting our surroundings. Even if it is in my mind, it still entertains me.
I'm not happy with this answer, now that I think about it
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Solor..
Yes you should think before writting rather than after. I must admit however it is more fun to write when driven by emotion rather than reason.
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