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Mind-Brain Identity Theory Is the mind just the meat in the head? George Matthews CC 2017

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the big questions

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the big questions

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the big questions ! WHAT is the mind: is it something physical? If not what can it possibly be?

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the big questions ! WHAT is the mind: is it something physical? If not what can it possibly be? ! WHERE is the mind: is it located in some particular place?

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the big questions ! WHAT is the mind: is it something physical? If not what can it possibly be? ! WHERE is the mind: is it located in some particular place? ! HOW can we understand minds: what sort of evidence counts for a scientific study of the mind?

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let’s get (meta)physical

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let’s get (meta)physical

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let’s get (meta)physical ! Dualism: there are immaterial minds or souls as well as physical things.

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let’s get (meta)physical ! Dualism: there are immaterial minds or souls as well as physical things. ! Behaviorism: let’s just not talk about metaphysics and what’s inside the head.

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let’s get (meta)physical ! Dualism: there are immaterial minds or souls as well as physical things. ! Behaviorism: let’s just not talk about metaphysics and what’s inside the head. ! But brains are in the head.

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let’s get (meta)physical ! Dualism: there are immaterial minds or souls as well as physical things. ! Behaviorism: let’s just not talk about metaphysics and what’s inside the head. ! But brains are in the head. ! Brains are made of cells, which are made of molecules, which are made of subatomic particles.

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let’s get (meta)physical ! Dualism: there are immaterial minds or souls as well as physical things. ! Behaviorism: let’s just not talk about metaphysics and what’s inside the head. ! But brains are in the head. ! Brains are made of cells, which are made of molecules, which are made of subatomic particles. PHYSICALISM: physical stuff is all that exists so anything real is physical.

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“from the brain, and from the brain only, arise our pleasures, joys, laughter and jests, as well as our sorrows, pains, griefs and tears. Through it, in particular we think, see, hear and distinguish the ugly from the beautiful, the bad from the good, the pleasant from the unpleasant . . . It is the same thing which makes us mad or delirious, inspires us with dread and fear . . . ” - Hippocrates of Cos (460-370 BCE)

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The Strange Case of Phineas Gage

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The Strange Case of Phineas Gage

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The Strange Case of Phineas Gage Phineas Gage was a railroad worker in Vermont who had his head pierced by a large iron rod in an accident.

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The Strange Case of Phineas Gage Phineas Gage was a railroad worker in Vermont who had his head pierced by a large iron rod in an accident. He survived the accident but his personality and temperament changed radically.

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The Strange Case of Phineas Gage Phineas Gage was a railroad worker in Vermont who had his head pierced by a large iron rod in an accident. He survived the accident but his personality and temperament changed radically. Gage is now known as the first case in the field of functional neuroscience.

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The Strange Case of Phineas Gage

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two theories of brain function

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two theories of brain function

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two theories of brain function 1. The brain functions as a whole and intelligence is a global property of brains.

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two theories of brain function 1. The brain functions as a whole and intelligence is a global property of brains. 2. The brain is composed of sub-units which each have local specializations and intelligence is a result of how these are combined.

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mapping the brain

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the somatosensory homunculus

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Mind/Brain Identity Theory

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Mind/Brain Identity Theory

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Mind/Brain Identity Theory ! Minds depend on brains.

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Mind/Brain Identity Theory ! Minds depend on brains. ! Brain functions are localized.

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Mind/Brain Identity Theory ! Minds depend on brains. ! Brain functions are localized. ! Fixing the mind is possible if we fix the brain.

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Mind/Brain Identity Theory ! Minds depend on brains. ! Brain functions are localized. ! Fixing the mind is possible if we fix the brain. ! There is nothing else in the head but the brain.

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Mind/Brain Identity Theory ! Minds depend on brains. ! Brain functions are localized. ! Fixing the mind is possible if we fix the brain. ! There is nothing else in the head but the brain. ! Thus minds ARE IDENTICAL with brains and studying the mind is nothing but studying the brain.

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Problems with identity theory

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Problems with identity theory

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Problems with identity theory ! Can different brains think the same thoughts?

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Problems with identity theory ! Can different brains think the same thoughts? ! How identical are our brains anyway?

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Problems with identity theory ! Can different brains think the same thoughts? ! How identical are our brains anyway? ! Token identity or type identity?

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Problems with identity theory ! Can different brains think the same thoughts? ! How identical are our brains anyway? ! Token identity or type identity? So how are minds related to brains?