8 Questions
What was the main goal of French philosophers in relation to the mind?
To explain the mind in a way that stressed its mechanical nature
What did Pierre Gassendi conclude about humans?
Humans are nothing but complex, physical machines
What did Julien de La Mettrie believe about mental experiences?
They are movements of particles in the brain
What was the conclusion of Julien de La Mettrie's book Man a Machine?
Man is a machine, and there is but a single substance differently modified in the universe
Who saw humans as nothing but complex, physical machines?
Pierre Gassendi
What did La Mettrie believe would result from accepting materialism?
A more humane and better world
What did Gassendi believe about the relationship between the mind and the brain?
The operations attributed to the mind can be ascribed to the functions of the brain
What was a key idea shared by Gassendi and Hobbes?
The view that humans are complex, physical machines
Study Notes
French Philosophers and Materialism
- French philosophers sought to explain the mind in a way that was similar to Newton's explanation of the physical world, focusing on mechanical nature and reducing mental activity to basic elements.
- They questioned why humans should not be subject to the same mechanical laws as the rest of the universe.
Pierre Gassendi
- Believed humans are complex, physical machines, with no need to assume a nonphysical mind.
- Saw no reason to postulate an unextended (immaterial) mind to explain human activity.
- Concluded that humans are nothing but matter and can be studied and understood like any other part of the universe.
Julien de La Mettrie
- Believed humans are machines that differ from other animals only in complexity.
- Thought that sensations and thoughts are nothing but movements of particles in the brain.
- Believed that accepting materialism would result in a better, more humane world.
- Stated in "Man a Machine" (1748) that "man is a machine, and that in the whole universe there is but a single substance differently modified" (p. 148).
- Was a physical monist, believing that every existing thing, including humans, consists of matter and nothing else.
Explore the ideas of French philosophers who sought to explain human behavior using scientific principles, similar to Newton's laws of physics. Learn about their quest to understand the mind through mechanistic and elemental approaches.
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