1,262 research outputs found
Descartes, corpuscles and reductionism : mechanism and systems in Descartes' physiology
I argue that Descartes explains physiology in terms of whole systems, and not in terms of the size, shape and motion of tiny corpuscles (corpuscular mechanics). It is a standard, entrenched view that Descartesâs proper means of explanation in the natural world is through strict reduction to corpuscular mechanics. This view is bolstered by a handful of corpuscular-mechanical explanations in Descartesâs physics, which have been taken to be representative of his treatment of all natural phenomena. However, Descartesâs explanations of the âprincipal partsâ of physiology do not follow the corpuscularâmechanical pattern. Des Chene (2001) has identified systems in Descartesâs account of physiology, but takes them ultimately to reduce down to the corpuscle level. I argue that they do not. Rather, Descartes maintains entire systems, with components selected from multiple levels of organisation, in order to construct more complete explanations than corpuscular mechanics alone would allow
The Immanent Contingency of Physical Laws in Leibnizâs Dynamics
This paper focuses on Leibnizâs conception of modality and its application to the issue of natural laws. The core of Leibnizâs investigation of the modality of natural laws lays in the distinction between necessary, geometrical laws on the one hand, and contingent, physical laws of nature on the other. For Leibniz, the contingency of physical laws entailed the assumption of the existence of an additional form of causality beyond mechanical or efficient ones. While geometrical truths, being necessary, do not require the use of the principle of sufficient reason, physical laws are not strictly determined by geometry and therefore are logically distinct from geometrical laws. As a consequence, the set of laws that regulate the physical laws could have been created otherwise by God. However, in addition to this, the contingency of natural laws does not consist only in the fact that God has chosen them over other possible ones. On the contrary, Leibniz understood the status of natural laws as arising from the action internal to physical substances. Hence the actuality of physical laws results from a causal power that is inherent to substances rather than being the mere consequence of the way God arranged the relations between physical objects. Focusing on three instances of Leibnizâs treatment of contingency in physics, this paper argues that, in order to account for the contingency of physical laws, Leibniz maintained that final causes, in addition to efficient and mechanical ones, must operate in physical processes and operations
Descartes, Corpuscles and Reductionism: Mechanism and Systems in Descartes' Physiology
Relational interpretation of the wave function and a possible way around Bell's theorem
The famous ``spooky action at a distance'' in the EPR-szenario is shown to be
a local interaction, once entanglement is interpreted as a kind of ``nearest
neighbor'' relation among quantum systems. Furthermore, the wave function
itself is interpreted as encoding the ``nearest neighbor'' relations between a
quantum system and spatial points. This interpretation becomes natural, if we
view space and distance in terms of relations among spatial points. Therefore,
``position'' becomes a purely relational concept. This relational picture leads
to a new perspective onto the quantum mechanical formalism, where many of the
``weird'' aspects, like the particle-wave duality, the non-locality of
entanglement, or the ``mystery'' of the double-slit experiment, disappear.
Furthermore, this picture cirumvents the restrictions set by Bell's
inequalities, i.e., a possible (realistic) hidden variable theory based on
these concepts can be local and at the same time reproduce the results of
quantum mechanics.Comment: Accepted for publication in "International Journal of Theoretical
Physics
Personal and sub-personal: a defence of Dennett's early distinction
Since 1969, when Dennett introduced a distinction between personal and subâpersonal levels of explanation, many philosophers have used âsubâpersonalâ very loosely, and Dennett himself has abandoned a view of the personal level as genuinely autonomous. I recommend a position in which Dennett's original distinction is crucial, by arguing that the phenomenon called mental causation is on view only at the properly personal level. If one retains the commitââ ments incurred by Dennett's early distinction, then one has a satisfactory antiâphysicalistic, antiâdualist philosophy of mind. It neither interferes with the projects of subâpersonal psychology, nor encourages ; instrumentalism at the personal level.
People lose sight of Dennettâs personal/sub-personal distinction because they free it from its philosophical moorings. A distinction that serves a philosophical purpose is typically rooted in doctrine; it cannot be lifted out of context and continue to do its work. So I shall start from Dennettâs distinction as I read it in its original context. And when I speak of âthe distinctionâ, I mean to point not only towards the terms that Dennett first used to define it but also towards the philosophical setting within which its work was cut out
âThe mind Is willing, but the flesh Is weakâ: The effects of mind-body dualism on health behavior
Beliefs in mind-body dualismâthat is, perceiving oneâs mind and body as two distinct entitiesâare evident in virtually all human cultures. Despite their prevalence, surprisingly little is known about the psychological implications of holding such beliefs. In the research reported here, we investigated the relationship between dualistic beliefs and health behaviors. We theorized that holding dualistic beliefs leads people to perceive their body as a mere âshellâ and, thus, to neglect it. Supporting this hypothesis, our results showed that participants who were primed with dualism reported less engagement in healthy behaviors and less positive attitudes toward such behaviors than did participants primed with physicalism. Additionally, we investigated the bidirectionality of this link. Activating health-related concepts affected participantsâ subsequently reported metaphysical beliefs in mind-body dualism. A final set of studies demonstrated that participants primed with dualism make real-life decisions that may ultimately compromise their physical health (e.g., consuming unhealthy food). These findings have potential implications for health interventions
Dealing with metaphysical evil : the Banker as evil genius in the British game show 'Deal or no deal?'
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