Category: Mind
Posts about philosophy of mind
If there is anything that each person knows, it is that he/she is self-conscious. The “I think” that is associated with all of our perceptions (including our self-perceptions) is pervasive. But what is the self-consciousness that is so basic to the human mind?
Materialists argue that (in some way) mind can be accounted for in terms of brain. Idealists argue that the material world (including brains) is just an illusion produced by mind. Dualists argue that minds and brains are (somehow) separate but related entities. Much hangs on a person’s account of what mind is, because for science to provide “the answer” regarding all observable phenomena, science must be materialistic about mind. Conversely, if materialism about mind is inadequate, then the implication is that science cannot provide a sweepingly adequate account of all that there is.
The following posts and discussions present a history of the philosophy of mind, as well as attempt to show that the Kantian account of mind is the most plausible.
A Priori vs. A Posteriori Knowledge
A Priori Knowledge
In a nutshell, the term “a priori” refers to knowledge that is gained logically-prior to, or independent of, experience. Two questions immediately emerge: 1) what exactly do we mean by “experience;” and do we actually …