Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
The mind is a fascinating entity. Where, after all, would we be without it? But what exactly is it? These days many people believe the mind simply is the brain. Descartes would have disagreed profoundly. He recommended a dualism of substance. Modern philosophers are again finding various forms of dualism attractive because the problems with physicalism are so intractable. One such problem is whether the mind, like the brain, is located in space (specifically inside the head). But does philosophy have anything sensible to say about the mind? Surely today it is scientists we should be listening to? Come and find out why this is – and always will be – false.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Philosophy of mind overview • critiques of identity theory and reductive/non-reductive physicalism • mind–brain relation, dualism alternatives • framing and methodology questions • audience Q&AThis podcast offers a guided introduction to central debates in the philosophy of mind, focusing on what the mind is and how it relates to the brain. It engages with the common contemporary assumption that mental states are identical to, or wholly reducible to, physical brain states, and sets this against historically influential alternatives such as Cartesian substance dualism. Across the series, the discussion examines prominent physicalist proposals—beginning with identity theory and moving through more nuanced, non-reductive versions of physicalism—highlighting the kinds of philosophical problems these views face when they try to explain consciousness, mental causation, and the apparent differences between subjective experience and physical processes.
The podcast then turns to what might follow if standard physicalist approaches are inadequate, surveying possible alternatives and the motivations for renewed interest in varieties of dualism or other non-physicalist frameworks. Along the way, it raises methodological questions about whether traditional mind–body debates are framed correctly, including issues about whether the mind is something located in space in the way the brain is, and what counts as an illuminating question or explanation in this area.
Overall, the content emphasizes philosophy’s distinctive role alongside science in clarifying concepts, assessing arguments, and exposing hidden assumptions, and it concludes with a question-and-answer format that revisits and consolidates the main lines of inquiry.
| Episodes: |
|
Part 5: Questions and Answers 2012-Apr-10 67 minutes |
|
Part 4: Are We Asking the Wrong Questions? 2012-Feb-07 82 minutes |
|
Part 3: If Physicalism Won't Work, What is the Alternative? 2012-Feb-07 67 minutes |
|
Part 2: Non-Reductive Physicalisms and the Problems they Face 2012-Feb-07 91 minutes |
|
Part 1: Identity Theory and Why it Won't Work 2012-Feb-07 90 minutes |