Philosophy of Mind: Dualism vs. Physicalism

Dualism vs. Physicalism

• Dualism posits two distinct substances: the immaterial mind and the material body. Descartes' substance dualism exemplifies this, while property dualism suggests one substance with two distinct properties (mental and physical).
• A problem with dualism is explaining the interaction between these substances or properties. Causal closure suggests physical events have only physical causes, leaving no room for mental ones.
• Physicalism (or materialism) is a monistic view, stating everything is explainable in physical terms. Functionalism, including global workspace theory, focuses on what consciousness does within a system. Consciousness broadcasts information for behavioral guidance.

Consciousness: Global vs. Local

• Global consciousness refers to sentience, wakefulness, and varying levels of sedation.
• Local or state consciousness refers to specific conscious content: sensory perceptions, emotions, and thoughts, including qualia ("what it's like"). Also considers narrative consciousness.

Alva Noë's Enactivism

• Noë offers an alternative to dualism and physicalism: consciousness is not something had, but something done.
• Enactivism emphasizes the organism's interaction with its environment. Neural activity is crucial not in isolation, but embedded in action and interaction. The brain facilitates interaction between brain, body, and world.

Embodied, Embedded, Enacted, Extended Mind

• The "four E's" describe the mind as embodied (involving body parts beyond the brain), embedded (situated in the environment), enacted (through organism's activity), and extended (incorporating environmental items).

Sensory Substitution and the Rubber Hand Illusion

• Sensory substitution experiments demonstrate how sensory input can be altered, shaping experience (e.g., "seeing" via tongue vibrations).
• The rubber hand illusion highlights how our sense of body location is dynamically shaped by multi-sensory interaction. This is a normal aspect of perception, not just an illusion.

The Lived Body

• The body isn't merely an object but provides a point of view and structures experience.
• The body schema is the body as background, a readiness for activity.
• Experiences are not separate from the body: hands enable interaction, emotional states manifest physically, and body position reveals situational meaning.

AI and Consciousness

• Physicalist approaches to consciousness would likely expect AI to generate consciousness given enough understanding of brain processes.
• LLMs (Large Language Models) use statistical analysis of massive data to generate text. They lack genuine understanding or meaning.
• Emily Bender refers to LLMs as "stochastic parrots," haphazardly stitching together linguistic forms without reference to meaning. This contrasts with human language's collaborative and meaning-focused nature.

Ethical Implications of AI

• The tendency to anthropomorphize AI raises ethical concerns. Daniel Dennett warns against the "intentional stance" – treating seemingly intelligent entities as persons.
• Ethical principles for AI development include transparency, justice, non-maleficence, responsibility, privacy, beneficence, autonomy, trust, sustainability, dignity, and solidarity. The potential for harm from advanced AI mandates careful consideration.

Explore the concepts of dualism and physicalism in the philosophy of mind. This quiz examines the differences between substance dualism and property dualism, as well as the implications of physicalism and functionalism on consciousness. Test your understanding of global and local consciousness with engaging questions.