Post by JENNY RAMOS on Sept 23, 2015 5:57:25 GMT
1. Why is understanding physics and the general rules of the universe so important in doing philosophy?
Physics and philosophy work closely together. Philosophy itself is a study of natural science, mathematics, ethics and many other areas. According to the History of Philosophy film, philosophers look for an answer, so knowing the basic rules of physics and the general rules would be crucial so that a philosopher would be able to ask the right questions. Philosophers aren’t afraid of an argument and therefore argue everything in search for answers. Philosophers look for knowledge of our meaning, why are we here? What are made of? How should we behave? As Aristotle believed that our thinking was the most valuable possession of life. Physics tries to provide the answers that philosophers have asked. Philosophy can’t be tested, but physics can, and can provide the answers to the thinkers of our universe.
2. What is eliminative materialism? Provide three examples of it.
Eliminative Materialism is the claim that our ordinary common-sense understanding of the mind is wrong, and that some or all of the mental states suggested by common sense do not exist. For example, our emotions in a mental state, such as our gut feelings, beliefs, love, anger, and pain should be ignored and instead of referring to our feelings for answers, we should look for accurate answers of what can be processed by the brain. Another example is free will or desire. Although we may feel that we have free will, according to Eliminative Materialism none of those feelings really exist. According to the Eliminative Materialism Part III video, Eliminative Material is considered folk psychology and anything from love, desire and free will is considered a mental state that doesn’t exist. Also, according to the Quantum Weirdness book, Brtrand Russell stated, “We think that grass is green, that stones are hard, and that snow is cold, but physics assures us that the greenness of grass, the hardness of stones, and the coldness of snow are not the greenness, hardness, and coldness that we know in our own experience, but something very different.” According to Eliminative Material since you cannot observe mental state, therefore we cannot prove we have them.
Physics and philosophy work closely together. Philosophy itself is a study of natural science, mathematics, ethics and many other areas. According to the History of Philosophy film, philosophers look for an answer, so knowing the basic rules of physics and the general rules would be crucial so that a philosopher would be able to ask the right questions. Philosophers aren’t afraid of an argument and therefore argue everything in search for answers. Philosophers look for knowledge of our meaning, why are we here? What are made of? How should we behave? As Aristotle believed that our thinking was the most valuable possession of life. Physics tries to provide the answers that philosophers have asked. Philosophy can’t be tested, but physics can, and can provide the answers to the thinkers of our universe.
2. What is eliminative materialism? Provide three examples of it.
Eliminative Materialism is the claim that our ordinary common-sense understanding of the mind is wrong, and that some or all of the mental states suggested by common sense do not exist. For example, our emotions in a mental state, such as our gut feelings, beliefs, love, anger, and pain should be ignored and instead of referring to our feelings for answers, we should look for accurate answers of what can be processed by the brain. Another example is free will or desire. Although we may feel that we have free will, according to Eliminative Materialism none of those feelings really exist. According to the Eliminative Materialism Part III video, Eliminative Material is considered folk psychology and anything from love, desire and free will is considered a mental state that doesn’t exist. Also, according to the Quantum Weirdness book, Brtrand Russell stated, “We think that grass is green, that stones are hard, and that snow is cold, but physics assures us that the greenness of grass, the hardness of stones, and the coldness of snow are not the greenness, hardness, and coldness that we know in our own experience, but something very different.” According to Eliminative Material since you cannot observe mental state, therefore we cannot prove we have them.