Let's look at what we have got so far in our project on Materialism. The first thing is the observation that the term "materialism" has been exchanged for the term "physicalism".
The main reason is that modern physics has shown, that matter is not just a simple story about little particles like the Ancient Greek Democritus had suggested.
Nevertheless, modern physics has adopted among other things this "particles" idea, a suggestion of a philosopher, who wondered about what really exists.
Today physicalism is the philosophical view that everything in the universe, including mental states and consciousness, can be explained by physical processes.
Make a note of it: the claim is "everything". That means that there doesn't exist anything that does not obey the laws of nature as formulated by physics.
When you see what movies are offered on Netflix, people must really love to indulge in watching how all laws of nature are ignored, defied, negated, and declared nonexistent with time travel, space travel, zombies, monsters, ghosts, witchcraft, paranormal abilities.
We seem to be easily inclined to believe, that there is more than just a physical world that we are part of, including mental states and consciousness. Maybe that makes materialism/physicalism, not the most popular ontology.
It might have something to do with my earlier remark, that homo sapiens is a hormone junkie. To mention the most popular ones:
Oxytocin is a hormone that is often referred to as the "love hormone" because it is associated with feelings of bonding, trust, and intimacy. It is released during social bonding experiences such as hugging or sexual activity.
Dopamine: Dopamine is a hormone that is associated with pleasure, reward, and motivation. It is released in response to positive experiences such as eating, exercising, or achieving a goal.
Testosterone: Testosterone is a hormone primarily produced in males that is associated with aggression, dominance, and risk-taking behaviors. It has also been linked to sexual arousal and libido.
All these hormones are connected with mental states and here begins the debate between science and philosophy, for, imagine, you experience intimacy.
Do you experience this because the looks of an attractive person (firing of the optical nerve) make your brain produces oxytocin, which activates processes in your brain that turns your body on and make it act?
Or is it the other way around: do you see an attractive person, that is, you say to yourself "Wow she/he looks good" which then sets your endocrinal system to work so that it begins to produce oxytocin?
Neurochemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and acetylcholine play a crucial role in regulating many mental processes, including emotions, mood, cognition, and behavior.
We know that people that suffer from serious depression also show specific neurochemical imbalances or disruptions in brain function.
However, we have two sets of data: on the one hand the biochemical processes in the body, and on the other hand the person describing his mental state.
We only know for sure, that these two in most cases go together, which means, there is a correlation between the two. When he says "I am in love" we may see high levels of dopamine and oxytocin in his body.
And that is what I meant with the remark about the debate between the neuroscientist and the philosopher: can we say that the individual's statement "I am in love" talks about exactly the same
as the statement "he is totally stuffed with dopamine and oxytocin" somehow in the way like saying: two helium atoms and one oxygen atom are the same as water?.
Is water identical to H2O? Are feelings of love identical to those hormones? And if this is the case, what do we mean by "identical"? Are we describing the same reality in two different languages, for instance?
Thank you for your attention.....
Main Sources:
MacMillan The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2nd edition
TABLE OF CONTENT -----------------------------------------------------------------
1 - 100 Philosophers 9 May 2009 Start of
2 - 25+ Women Philosophers 10 May 2009 this blog
3 - 25 Adventures in Thinking 10 May 2009
4 - Modern Theories of Ethics 29 Oct 2009
5 - The Ideal State 24 Febr 2010 / 234
6 - The Mystery of the Brain 3 Sept 2010 / 266
7 - The Utopia of the Free Market 16 Febr 2012 / 383
8. - The Aftermath of Neo-liberalism 5 Sept 2012 / 413
9. - The Art Not to Be an Egoist 6 Nov 2012 / 426
10 - Non-Western Philosophy 29 May 2013 / 477
11 - Why Science is Right 2 Sept 2014 / 534
12 - A Philosopher looks at Atheism 1 Jan 2015 / 557
13 - EVIL, a philosophical investigation 17 Apr 2015 / 580
14 - Existentialism and Free Will 2 Sept 2015 / 586
15 - Spinoza 2 Sept 2016 / 615
16 - The Meaning of Life 13 Febr 2017 / 637
17 - In Search of my Self 6 Sept 2017 / 670
18 - The 20th Century Revisited 3 Apr 2018 / 706
19 - The Pessimist 11 Jan 2020 / 819
20 - The Optimist 9 Febr 2020 / 824
21 - Awakening from a Neoliberal Dream 8 Oct 2020 / 872
22 - A World Full of Patterns 1 Apr 2021 / 912
23 - The Concept of Freedom 8 Jan 2022 / 965
24 - Materialism 7 Sept 2022 / 1011
[13:20] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): good question
[13:20] herman Bergson: I leave you with this cliff hanger ^_^
[13:20] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): ツ
[13:21] herman Bergson: To me it is an exciting but complex question
[13:21] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): I wonder if science will finally find out
[13:21] herman Bergson: Not one you answer with one keystroke
[13:22] herman Bergson: Yes Gemma...
[13:22] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): i think it's more complicated than we known now
[13:22] herman Bergson: The intriguing issue here is that ...
[13:22] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): makes me think of a friend i had that i cuddled with a lot and it was the best thing ever. Don't know where he is now though but we met in 6th elementary school and got really close. I have always since very early loved touch and closeness
[13:22] herman Bergson: on the one hand you have the individual thought/feeling
[13:23] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): and i miss him a lot, still dream about him now and then
[13:23] herman Bergson: on the other hand you have these endocrinical reactions
[13:23] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): but is it just hormones that trigger a such feel good sensation or something else
[13:23] herman Bergson: Is the thougth more than the endocrinical responses to the environment?
[13:24] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): being close to someone else
[13:24] herman Bergson: And if the thought is more than biochemical processes......???????
[13:24] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): well it is something
[13:25] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): but indeed what is it exactly
[13:25] herman Bergson: But is this something , something physical, Bejiita
[13:25] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): chemistry and electrical signas i guess including those hormones
[13:25] herman Bergson: According to physicalist ontology it has te be
[13:26] herman Bergson: I am still working on this issue :-))
[13:26] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): so are many philosophers i guess
[13:26] herman Bergson smiles
[13:26] herman Bergson: Always feels good not to be alone , Gemma :-))
[13:27] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): indeed
[13:28] herman Bergson: But in coming lectures I'll try to show you what some philosophers have figured out about this issue ^_^
[13:29] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): im not a lone wolf for sure,I need company
[13:29] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): then we are all different but its i guess generally so for most of us
[13:30] Lady Jane Grey (theiarhea): When we consider the spaces between atoms and molecules, we must consider the vibrational energy which can influence chemical reactions which the pituitary glands play upon hormones, must we not?
[13:30] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): sounds logical
[13:30] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): i guess
[13:31] herman Bergson: oops, I really don't know, Lady Jane....can you elaborate a little on this?
[13:31] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): if i understand it correct
[13:31] Anna Adamant Albion (anna.adamant) is online.
[13:31] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): like it affects different peope in different way depending on certain things, personal differences ect?
[13:32] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): geners
[13:32] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): genes
[13:32] herman Bergson: the spaces between atoms and molecules....?
[13:32] herman Bergson: molecules are collections of atoms.....
[13:33] herman Bergson: so how can there be spaces between them?
[13:33] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): i think there is
[13:34] Lady Jane Grey (theiarhea): Apparently, there are vibrations playing off each other in the spaces between the particles at a quantum level which influences everything around it. Apparently this was well known in the ancient worlds hence the patterns of stained glass windows in churches and acoustical architecture. It all plays a part on emotion and behaviour ...apparently.
[13:34] herman Bergson: there can be spaces between atoms and between molecules, I guess
[13:35] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): well there is distance between the nucleus and the electrons
[13:35] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): so many issues to consider
[13:35] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): its not a solid clump
[13:35] herman Bergson: maybe vibrations mean energy?
[13:35] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaa like heat = atomic vibration
[13:35] Lady Jane Grey (theiarhea): yes, sir ...apparently.
[13:36] herman Bergson: At least there is a lot we still don't know about "matter" and energy
[13:36] herman Bergson: That is also what you see in philosophy of mind....
[13:37] herman Bergson: we know...andrenaline goes with a feeling of anger
[13:37] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ah
[13:37] herman Bergson: But is anger the same as me saying "I am angry"
[13:37] herman Bergson: with emphasis on the "I"
[13:37] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): there is the problem
[13:38] herman Bergson: right Gemma
[13:38] herman Bergson: Yet , maybe the brain in its physiology may generate this "I"
[13:39] herman Bergson: But then it is a natural process....so deterministic....
[13:39] Sarah (oosarahoo.voxel) is online.
[13:39] herman Bergson: and now hell breaks loose....
[13:39] herman Bergson: where is free will if all is the result of deterrministic processes...
[13:39] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ah
[13:39] herman Bergson: as you see.....
[13:39] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): i guess
[13:39] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): seems logical
[13:40] herman Bergson: we still have some stations to pass by :-))
[13:40] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): or stop at
[13:40] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): true
[13:40] herman Bergson: Philosophy isn't heading for the end station, Gemma....:-)
[13:41] herman Bergson: But we may be heading for mist :-))
[13:42] herman Bergson: But for now...let's enjoy the coming spring first...:-)
[13:42] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): ah check the summer tomorrow too
[13:42] herman Bergson: Thank you all again for your participation...
[13:42] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): they are almost ready
[13:42] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): one is one day older
[13:42] herman Bergson: I'll keep the page on...
[13:42] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): oki ㋡
[13:42] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): so may go first
[13:42] herman Bergson: Class dismissed.....
[13:42] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): ♥ Thank Youuuuuuuuuu!! ♥
[13:42] herman Bergson: follow the birds :-))
[13:43] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): nice again!
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