Dualist Interactionism PDF

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Dualist Interactionism...

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Dualist Interactionism (a & b) -

Mind (soul) and body are two different kinds of substances which can interact with each other - Descartes: Interaction in the pineal glan - Eccles et Al (1985).: The Self and its brain: An Argument for Interactionism  World 1: physical objects and states  World 2: states of consciousness  World 3: knowledge in objective sense o Inspired by physicists Mergenau or Beck, Eccles proposed that informationprocessing dendritic bundles have a non-material component („psychons“) that influences pyramid cells  interactionist dualists take mental realism and mental causation seriously, but negate (or reinterpret) the causal closure principle  (Neuro-)Physiologists proposed mechanisms of interaction but their ideas could not be confirmed empirically  Dualism i soften opposed to science, but it is rather the opponent of materialism/naturalism or a naive scientism

Epiphenomenalism or Animal Automatism (a & c) „It may be assumed, then, that molecular changes in the brain are the causes of all states of consciousness of brutes . The consciousness of brutes would appear to be related to the mechanism of their body simply as a collateral product of ist working, and to be as completely without any power of modifying that working as the steam-whistle which accompanies the work of a locomotive engine is without influence upon its machinery. Their volition, if they have any, ia an emotion indicative of physical changes, not a cause of such changes.“(Huxley, 1874) The free will problem „This conception of relations of states of consciousness with mpolecualr changes in the brain does not prevent us from ascribing free will to brutes. For an agent is free when there is nothing to prevent him from doing that which he desires to do. If a greyhound chases a hare , he is a free agent, because his action is in entire accordance with his strong desire to catch the hare: while so long as he is held back by the leash he is notfree, being prevented by external force from following his inclination.“(Huxley) -

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Epipjenomenalists take mental realism and the causal closure principle seriouslz but deny the possibility of mental causation In actual scientific practice it is difficult to prove beyond doubt that consciousness (or the mind) is indeed causally effective, yet, the competing assumption that the whole causal account can be given without consciousness (mind) is also speculative It would appear odd particularly from an evolutionary point of view that the evolved consciousness and its funtions cannot make a difference in the course of the world How can mind be evolutionary selected if it had no causal effect?! Causal power of consciousness:

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Mental practice  Imagining oneself performing an activity improves future performance, e.g. in sports Planning  Forming implementation intentions (Ïf X happens I will do Y”) or increases likelihood of planned behaviour Self-awareness  Interaction between students’ dispositional mindfulness and priming conditions. The more mindful students were immune to the manipulation whereas the less mindful students were affected by the priming...