Phi 2010 HONORS : October 2024

1. a. What is Descartes' conceivability b. & divisibility argument? c. Taken together, what do they prove regarding the mind (according to Descartes)?

2. Is the mind the soul for Descartes?

3. Mention one counter to Descartes' theory (p. 227)

4. What is the "closure of the physical"? (p. 227)

5. What is epiphenomenalism?

6. Explain Logical Behaviorism? Which present science is close to this definition?

7. Explain Putnam's Super Spartans thought experiment. What's a counterexample to?

8. Explain Thomas Nagel's bat experiment. What theory is it a counter to?

9. What are the characteristics of mental states according to Nagel?

10. What is functionalism?

11. Answer Section 4.3 Question #1 and Question #3

12. What is David Lewis' Mad Man thought experiement a counter example to?

13. What is Allan Touring test for intelligence. What does it mean? (Read p. 236, 237)

14. What is the event known as singularity? Do you believe it possible?

15. Section 4.5 Question #4.

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Paper proposal (first assignment) due october 17

click here for more information.

Monday, October 7, 2024

this is a good video to continue our discussion on chapter 4 (philosophy of mind)

click here.

Friday, October 4, 2024

you need good counters to have a good philosophy paper

click here for more information,

Topics for your philosophy paper

Click here for more information.

Thursday, October 3, 2024

Law of unintended consequences

click here.

Capítulo 4 (Philosophy of Mind)

Click here for more information.

La invasión del "fake" research (o por qué debemos considerar lo "fake" como una parte del todo)

Climate scientist admits to overhyping research to get published (in the Telegraph)

Are you surprised? 😂

Let's do a bit of Philosophy of statistics.

I remember Professor Barr's adage in my Statistical Analysis class: if you find two compelling reasons for a mistake (outside the research), it's not a mistake.

What an error in statistics?

Observational error (or Measurement error) is the difference between a measured value of a quantity and its true value. In statistics, an error is not necessarily a "mistake."

The reason is that variability is an inherent part of the results of measurement processes.

Measurement errors can be divided into two: random and systematic.

Random errors are errors in measurement that lead to inconsistent measurable values when repeated measurements of a constant attribute or quantity are taken (errors can get repeated even if looking for proof)

Systematic errors are not determined by chance but are introduced by repeatable processes inherent to the system.

Put differently, the house would lose if randomness was true.

A systematic error is not determined by chance but by a repeatable process inherent to the system. In gambling parlance, Casino bias is part of the game; otherwise, the House loses!

Now, is complete randomness REAL? Some think not.

If not, how do you argue?

HOMEWORK #6 EMPIRICISM & KANT

1. Tell which proposition is synthetic a priori or a posteriori and explain your answer.

a. Every event has a cause.

b. The sum of the interior angles in a triangle is 180 degrees.

c. Humans first landed on the Moon in 1969.

d. Caffeine is a stimulant that increases heart rate in most adults.

2. ¿Why is 7 + 5 = 12 synthetic a priori for Kant?

3. Try to explain why TIME is a PURE INTUITION for Kant (Hint: Justify why time is not outside in the world).

4. Regarding Locke's primary & secondary qualities, indicate whether it's one or the other. Explain.

a. The extension of a metal rod increases uniformly when heated, as measurable by a ruler independent of any observer's tactile sensation.

b. The bitterness of quinine in tonic water persists across dilutions, yet its intensity varies based on individual taste buds' sensitivity to molecular interactions.

c. The figure of a cube maintains six equal faces and twelve edges, verifiable through geometric calculation without reliance on visual perception.

d. The pitch of a violin string's vibration rises with tension, producing a tonal quality that differs in auditory experience among listeners with varying hearing acuity.

The question below is more difficult. I leave it as a "bonus."

👇

5. In Berkeley's phenomenalism, physical objects are collections of sensory ideas that exist only when perceived; without perception, they would cease to be. However, God acts as an eternal perceiver to ensure continuity and order in the unobserved world.

(Yesterday, in class, I argued that Berkeley is not that off in his Phenomenalist argument, having God as the eternal perceiver). Why?

Quantum mechanics reveals that particles and systems exist in superpositions (multiple states simultaneously) until "measured," at which point they appear to collapse into a single definite state.

Why does this parallel Berkeley's idea that reality is indeterminate without perception?

HINT: Look at the DECOHERENCE THEORY in quantum mechanics. Now, you build the justification.

6. Now that you know Rationalism, Empiricism, and Kantian theory. What are you?

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

why is 7+5 =12 synthetic apriori?

find the answer here.