What Is Mind And Does It Exist - 937 Words

When we direct the question, â€Å"what is mind and does it exist?† to ourselves, the answer seems perfectly clear, because to each person there is nothing closer, more intimate, or more certain than his/her own mind, or themselves. A person is absolutely sure of the existence of his own mind, but the question is, what exactly is one’s mind? The first philosopher to take on the theory of mind was a philosopher by the name of Plato. Plato observed the differences between the ideal forms of the content of mind and the every world. Plato defined the philosophy of mind as â€Å"a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness, and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain.† Trying to relate the mind and body together created the mind-body problem which when â€Å"the relationship of the mind to the body, is commonly seen as a key issue concerning the nature of the mind that do not involve its relation to the physical body, such as how consciousness is possible and the nature of particular mental states.† Philosophers such as Plato attempted to resolve this mind-body problem by the use of dualism and monism. During this attempt to resolve this issue, substance dualists argued that the mind is an â€Å"independently existing substance.† In other words, they claimed the mental states were separated and distinct from the physical state. On the other hand, property dualists argued â€Å"the mind is a groupShow MoreRelatedAppraisal of Renà © Descartes1209 Words   |  5 PagesPassions of the Soul, Renà © Descartes lays out his views on the mind. Descartes is a dualist, specifically an interactionalist, which is someone who believes that mental states and physical states are distinct from one another, yet still affect each other. This view, however, faces significant obstacles, to which Descartes believes he has an answer for. In th is paper I will outline Descartes’ argument for the distinctness between the mind and body, explicate the problems his theory faces, and concludeRead MoreOntological Arguments : The Ontological Argument1453 Words   |  6 Pagesgreater can be conceived (thought of). P2) God can either exist within the mind, or in the mind (in intellectu) and reality (in re) itself. P3) A thing that exists in the mind alone is arguably not as great as something which exists in both reality and in the mind. C) God must exist in reality. (La Croix, 1972) He understood this argument to be proof of God as for the fool/atheist to reject the existence of God they must have an idea of what God is; it is impossible to reject something without atRead MoreDescartes, Descartes And Descartes918 Words   |  4 Pagessupposition that the Meditator could potentially exist alone in the universe is possible because thoughts as indicators of existence can prevail, despite the inexistence of things other than the Meditator himself. I will begin by demonstrating how the representative property involved in objective reality can prevail without the existence of things other than the Meditator. Likewise, thoughts are independent from the external world because they originate in the mind. Afterwards I will show that the existenceRead MoreSummary and Analysis of Various Documents1852 Words   |  7 PagesGod exists in our understanding which means that the concept of God exists as an idea in our mind. Anything that exists in our understanding has a corre lation/ correspondence in the external world, therefore God is a possible being and may well exist in reality. Something that exists in reality is great. Something that is only a concept in our mind it is not replicated in reality may actually be greater was it to exist in actuality. Now St. Ansell continues let us suppose that God does exist onlyRead MoreCalifornia s Immaterialism And His Usage Of God1288 Words   |  6 Pagessensible qualities are ideas and exist only in the mind, but at the same time require us to perceive to them in order to exist. God, as an omnipresent, being holds the power to perceive all things all of the time, and as such is used by Berkeley as solution to this potential problem in his immaterialism. This essay looks to explain Berkeley’s account of why this is the case. First the essay explains why Berkeley rejects materialism, as he does not believe matter exists. Next we see that God’s omnipresenceRead MoreAnselm and the proof for the exi stence of God1129 Words   |  5 Pagesthat the combination accepting that God exists and not believing that God exists is not possible. The conclusion of Anselms proofs are that God exists. In order to understand where Anselm is coming from we have to have some background information. Anselm is speaking to Ganilo about the fool, in other words the atheists, that understands two important aspects of God. The first is that he accepts that claim that God exists and the second is that he does not believe in the existence of God. TheRead MoreSt. Anselm Essay1022 Words   |  5 PagesSt. Anselm Not every great writer can be correct in what he or she is saying. This is the idea that Gaunilo had in mind when he wrote his criticism to St. Anselm’s Ontological Argument which states that if something greater than anything else that could be thought of is conceived in the understanding then it must exist. Gaunilo says it is foolish to believe in the existence of something just because it is understood. He says there must be some kind of other explanation. In this paper, IRead MoreThe Soul And Body : The Mind ( Soul ) And The Body885 Words   |  4 PagesThai Huynh November 18th, 2015 Soul and Body The mind (soul) and the body can be apart somehow. You trust something in your soul even the things you trust does not exist, and you trust how thing is when you see it by how it is. Now I am giving example of three philosophers to show how they debate about mind and soul. Plato thinks that souls can and will exist outside of the body and can exist after the dead of the body. He provided a â€Å"proof† for this position and is the first to do this in writingRead MoreThe Between Essence And Existence871 Words   |  4 Pagesessence exists in two different ways of being. First, essence can exist in reality as a concrete, singular instance. For example, a dog can exist in reality through the essence of Lassie the dog. Second, essence can exist through the mind as a universal. For example, a dog can exist in through the mind by thinking the general meaning of the word dog. Essence can Be and Be Known because it is self-same meaning that it can exist in both ways of being. A dog doesn’t necessary have to exist in â€Å"reality†Read MoreThe Relationship of the Mind and the Body: The Person1071 Words   |  5 PagesCan the mind exist without the body? Can the body exist without the mind? Surely in this day and age, there are artificial ways to keep the body alive even if the brain is pronounced dead. Likewise, the body can be completely immobilized, in a coma, yet the mind can still be alive and active. But can either really exist in its entirety on its own, performing its functions as usual, and in the same manner as if it was still in union with its partner? In his book, Discourse on the Method and Meditations