Philosophy, Mind, Brain
Overview
Notes on various philosophical topics related to mind and brain and their connections with other philosophical ares.
Introduction
This is a first gathering of topics relating to mind and brain, with only a few words at this stage on each topic. Some of this is perhaps described as philosophical psychology.
Dualism
Following a Carnapian pragmatism about language, I have no problem with using mental language and with accepting the ontological presumptions of such language (i.e. in accepting the existence of mental entities in the same way that I accept material entities when talking about physics.). If this way of talking serves some purpose, and it certainly seems to have done so throughout history as well as in my own personal life, then that's OK.

There is a question about the relationship between such ontological pluralism and the status of the physicists "Theory of Everything". My pluralism is also relaxed about this, even though a theory of everything might on its face deny the existence of mental entities. I do think the question of what a "Theory of Everything" is or might be is interesting in its own right.

I don't believe there is necessarily inconsistency involved in accepting the possibility of a materialistic theory of everything and adopting mentalistic language where appropriate and even adding the denial that the mental language is reducible or eliminable in any sense in favour of materialist language.

However, though talk about mental states is acceptable in principle, rigorous deductive reasoning in this domain requires more carefully defined language than I propose to use, and discussion of these matters will be discursive.
Logic and Emotion
Something about this is necessary to my synthesis of rationalistic and romantic philosophy.
Foundationalism
Some psychology is relevant to my position in relation to foundationalism.


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Created:2006-04-16

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