Philosophy of Mind and Epistemology Quiz

Philosophy of Mind and Epistemology Summary

• A category mistake occurs when someone applies a concept or term to a situation or object to which it does not apply, due to a misunderstanding of the concept or term itself.
• Gilbert Ryle argued that mental states are not separate from the body and are a category mistake.
• The ghost in the machine argument is the dualist view of the mind and body that views the mind controlling the physical body like a machine. This is problematic because it implies the mind is a separate entity that is distinct from the body and controls it like a puppet on strings.
• A general critique of dualism is that it adds an unnecessary layer of complexity to the mind-body problem.
• The three kinds of behaviorism are methodological behaviorism, radical behaviorism, and psychological behaviorism.
• Relation of ideas is a type of knowledge based purely on logical and conceptual connections between ideas without any reference in the external world.
• Matter of fact is knowledge that is based on observations and experiences of the world.
• Simple ideas according to John Locke are building blocks to all knowledge and experience. Complex ideas are made up of simple ideas that are combined in various ways.
• Impressions and ideas are the two types of mental states. Impressions are more lively and vivid mental states that we experience directly through our senses and emotions. Ideas are fainter copies of our impressions that we form in our mind through memory and imagination.
• David Hume argued that our belief in cause and effect is a habit of the mind that is based on custom and not on any logical or empirical basis.
• Inductive skepticism is the philosophical position that questions the ability of inductive reasoning to provide us with knowledge or certainty about the future.
• The general problem of the justification of induction is that there is no logical or empirical basis for our belief in inductive reasoning.