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Soul, Mind + Body - Coggle Diagram
Soul, Mind + Body
Materialism
Richard Dawkins
- evolutionist
- materialist
- believed that there is no pre-existent soul which is by the nature divine
- would argue that there is no prime mover
- rejected the concept of creation
Metaphysics? we can only know what is scientifically proven
Consciousness? just an evolution
Soul? is credible
Afterlife? blind faith
For Dawkins, the only conceivable theory is that of evolution
--> believed we are how we are because of our genetic make-up not the efforts of our souls to guide us
--> believed we are 'survival machines' which preserve our selfish molecules to continuously reproduce, known as our genes
'The Selfish Gene'
The body is a colony of cells, or genes
- genes want to be replicated
genes find they replicate easier if they do it together, evolving into a multi-celled organism
- this is the pattern of evolution
Development of our consciousness
- if an action has a bad result, the animal will not repeat it
- if an action has a good result, the animal will repeat it
- so we evolve behaviours to develop the capacity to predict the future results of actions
Criticisms of Dawkins:
McGrath --> criticised for not allowing spiritual ideas to challenge scientific ones
--> the concept of consciousness requires an explanation itself, which McGrath believed lied with the monotheistic God of Christianity
Richard Swinburne - believed that science requires an explanation to, which is GOD
Plato
Plato's substance dualism
- believed the soul was trapped in the body
- created a triparte for the soul, mind and body
- believed the soul was immortal
- the goal for the soul is to reach the WOF
Chariot analogy
- Plato compares the soul to a chariot driver attempting to control 2 horses
chariot driver = interlect, reason
horse 1 = 'spirit', rational, moral impulse
horse 2 = irrational passion, appetites
- Plato argued that the true philosopher would have a soul which controls the right proportions of each
--> 'the harmony of the soul is a virtue'
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Aristotle
Property dualism
- believed the soul and body couldn't live without each other
- 'when the soul dies, so does the soul. It is not eternal.'
Four parts of the soul
RATIONAL
contains calculative and scientific
calculative - weighs up knowledge
scientific - holds factual knowledge
IRRATIONAL
contains desiderative and vegetative
desiderative - helps distinguish needs vs wants
vegetative - concerned about basic needs
Supporting materialsim
- ocham's razor
- biology (dawkins)
- category mistake (ryle)
Supporting dualism
- human freedom (swinburne)
- privacy (moreland)