From now on we'll discuss physicalism and leave the term "materialism" behind.Of course, physicalism is still based on a materialist ontology. We use the term because the classic ideas of materialism don't cover the findings of modern physics.
The question is, does this physicalism offer an adequate account of human beings? The chief objection to materialism / physicalism is that is doesn't offer an accounting of the mental life of human beings.
Minds are not physical is argued and consciousness is not a physical property. So, physicalism is bound to be an inadequate view with regard to human beings.
The first answer to this objection is, what I already have referred to in earlier lectures: the identity theory. The basic idea is that words, that describe mental state X have the same referent as statements that describe physical state X.
In fact, we are quite used to that semantic phenomenon. When we visit our doctor and tell him that it hurts somewhere, he may come up with a nice Latin word which is the name of the physical inconvenience.
The basic idea thus is, that we can describe the same material in two or more different ways, like English and Spanish can describe the same situation.
A problem might be that we can talk about the mind and about neural events in the organism. These events we can see or monitor. Isn't the mind more than just these neural events and processes? Something like the idea that something is more than the total of its composing parts.
there come two answers to my mind. One is this: you come and visit me at the university. Never been there so I show you around, show you all buildings, teachers, students, etc.
Then you tell me how interesting everything was, but then ask: ok, I have seen a lot of things, but where is the university itself? Here you may conclude that some words do not refer to particular objects or entities but to a collection of objects.
So, when we talk about the mind, we are not referring to some specific entity, but to the total of experiences, thoughts, behavior, and the like of a human being. The mind is not a specific property of this total, but simply a term that refers to the total.
My second idea is, what we discussed in a previous lecture: does velocity exists? If you want to look for some entity that you can point out as velocity, then the answer is "no". There is no such thing as velocity.
Nevertheless, the police will stop you and present you with a speeding ticket because your velocity was too high. In other words, the term "velocity" does not refer to a specific entity, but to a relation between observable entities.
When you think of velocity, in a way, it looks like you are thinking of an immaterial entity, like when you talk about the mind you're easily inclined to think that it is some (im)material entity, although we are talking about relations between material entities.
This makes me think of a debate I once had with my brother. I must have been ten at the time. He claimed that he could see the wind and I denied that. You can't see the wind. What you see is the moving of leaves and branches of trees, was my opinion. The debate is still remembered in the family.
We never could come to a settlement of the issue, because my brother died when he was 52 and then his mind was gone too.
Thank you for your attention again....
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
[13:24] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): thank you Herman
[13:24] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): that all made sense
[13:24] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aw well
[13:25] herman Bergson: That is how we use words
[13:25] herman Bergson: Our primary intuition is tht every word refers to a concrete THING, something that exists
[13:26] herman Bergson: But it is more complex
[13:27] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): going back to my game development. Ok everything there is virtual but game engines are at least simulating real objects so say for a basic character controller i have maybe a walk speed and a run speed variable, but unless attached to a player character they do no good cause they are then just values without application
[13:27] herman Bergson: That is what annoys me always when people talk about god.....as if it is a person/thing.....
[13:27] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): same soes irl velocity is a mathematical value , a quantity
[13:27] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): that need to be applied to a physical object in motion
[13:27] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): the value is not physical but it represents a quantity
[13:28] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): thats how i see it
[13:28] herman Bergson: so the mind is not a thing....not some object that you can find in a human body
[13:28] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): its just well math
[13:28] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): not a physical one
[13:28] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): that part is hard to define or explain
[13:28] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): is ay its like data in a computer, electrical and also chemical signals
[13:28] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): and why people believe in spirit
[[13:29] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): the computer is physical the data is not
[13:29] herman Bergson: Well...all what happens between neurons and things like that is based on electricity
[13:29] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): exactly
[13:29] herman Bergson: so the mind is the electric currents between brain cells
[13:30] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): unless u count the electrons making up the signal as physical things cause they are
[13:30] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): but by themselves don't represent anything
[13:30] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): themselves
[13:30] herman Bergson: and it is the transfer of for instance hormones to all parts of our body
[[13:30] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ah
[13:31] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): all these things i refer to as properties
[13:31] herman Bergson: Well...never knew life is that simple ^_^
[13:31] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate) GIGGLES!!
[13:31] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): ...LOL...
[13:31] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): properties of an object
[13:33] herman Bergson: That is the classic idea: we have objects and these objects have properties
[13:33] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): however some properties i guess CAN be physical, for ex the feel of a surface, the friction is directly relayed to the physical surface and material of the object so a bit of middle ground there i say
[13:33] herman Bergson: That is how we have constructed our thinking
[13:34] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): interesting
[13:34] herman Bergson: and indeed philosophers have done a lot of work regarding analyzing properties
[13:34] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaa yes
[13:34] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): but so many disagree
[13:34] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ok
[13:34] herman Bergson: and that is the point Bejiita....properties aren't physical....they are sensory data
[13:35] herman Bergson: there is a whole debate about the ontology of properties
[13:35] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): i guess, well but ice is slippery as a direct consequence of the very smooth surface
[13:35] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): but velocity is more mathematical,
[13:35] herman Bergson: Do properties exist independent of our perceiving them?
[13:36] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): or i don't know as said i say its a bit of a middle ground, never thought of it that way before until now
[13:36] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): ha
[13:36] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): like the tree falling in the forest
[13:36] herman Bergson: A famous saying is the question: Does the tree that falls unseen in a forest make a sound?
[13:36] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): i got there first
[13:36] herman Bergson: Ahh you know the statement Gemma :-))
[13:36] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate) GIGGLES!!
[13:36] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): ...LOL...
[13:37] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): in game engines u often have so called physics materials that determines the friction, bounciness ect of an object when they are applied to it
[13:37] herman Bergson: Yes...you earned your A+ again today
[13:37] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): that is an ongoing discussion
[13:37] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): and no answer
[13:38] herman Bergson: it is indeed...especially the ontological question
[13:38] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ah
[13:38] herman Bergson: speed is a property of objects only when measured for instance
[13:38] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): yes
[13:38] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): i guess so
[13:39] herman Bergson: that is in fact the reason to use the word physicalism in stead of materialism
[13:39] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): we need to get the property from the object
[13:39] herman Bergson: there is no property without the object
[13:39] herman Bergson: so it made a lot of philosophers wonder
[13:40] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): in a game engine u need to apply the property to the object but ijn real life its just there. u don't need to attach a speed value to an object to get it moving (unless its a motor controller for an electric scooter ect)
[13:40] herman Bergson: We could do a whole project on the phenomenon "property" in philosophy, I guess
[13:41] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): put that down
[13:41] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): but a scooter also can move without running the motor if u push it
[13:41] herman Bergson smiles
[13:41] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): and then its like any real object
[13:41] herman Bergson: Good for the next project:-))
[13:41] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:42] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): well this is my views of things
[13:42] herman Bergson: Well...today you learned how we use words and some semantics :-)
[13:42] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): as good as i can grasp them
[13:42] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): indeed
[13:42] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): all made sense
[13:42] herman Bergson: Prepares you fro a nice weekend, I guess
[13:43] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): thought of some stuff in a new way at least,
[13:43] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:43] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): that is the point
[13:43] herman Bergson: The weather is improving
[13:43] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): indeed Herman
[13:43] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): here still a bit cold
[13:43] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaa yes, balcony premiere this weekend
[13:43] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): out with the furniture from the basement
[13:43] herman Bergson: Going to 15 C soon
[13:43] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:44] bergfrau Apfelbaum: very interesting! thank you Herman and class
[13:44] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): air can stil be a little cold indeed but getting warmer
[13:44] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): and than back to 12C
[13:44] herman Bergson: So, thank you all again for your participation.....
[13:44] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): here \
[13:44] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): same
[13:44] bergfrau Apfelbaum: yay
[13:44] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): took my E Scooter to the floorball today and esp on way home wind was really cold
[13:44] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): should be warmer by 10 degrees now
[13:44] herman Bergson: Class dismissed....
[13:44] Gemma (gemma.cleanslate): ♥ Thank Youuuuuuuuuu!! ♥
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